Nurture and Strengthen Relationships

This week I would like to share with you some ideas for your to use to strengthen your relationships, especially your marriage relationships. I highly recommend anyone who is preparing to be or currently married to read chapter 4 of, “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,” by John Gottman. As you read be sure to participate in the exercises given (in the text)  to strengthen your relationships. I personally am super excited to do the 20 question exercise with my boyfriend in the near future. Here is a website in which you and your spouse can participate in the same activity: http://rhlink.com/mmw003 . It’s a great way to better get to know your significant other (Below is a picture version of the game instructions).

It is important to establish trust in one another and to nurture that trust throughout your marriage. You can do so by relying on each other to meet certain responsibilities, through getting to know each other, spending time together, forgiving one another and doing pretty much anything else that allows you to grow closer to your partner. I interviewed my parents and learned what they did when they were newly weds to establish and increase trust throughout their relationship. It was very inspiring and touching to hear them share with me something so near and dear to their hearts. It is a fun experience that I think would benefit anyone preparing for marriage and all that this entails.

Love should be the center of your relationships, that love will lead to action which will allow you to build trust in one another and strengthen your relationship so that it can continue to blossom and grow. Leave no room for the negativity and distrust to enter in, expel it with kindness and understanding and you will succeed.

Resource: Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2000). Die 7 Geheimnisse der glücklichen Ehe. Düsseldorf: Von Schröder.