Christmas is fast approaching – a time of family, fun and laughter. Or it should be. Christmas can also be a time of intense pressure and stress, leading to arguments and upsets between couples – the exact opposite of what everyone is looking forward to! So how do some couples manage to not only survive… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Communication
When talking is tough
Talking things over together in a relationship can be tricky – particularly if you haven’t been talking properly for a while, or you feel hurt or angry with your partner. However, if you do feel able to give it a go, these tips may be useful: Keep things relaxed. Hearing the words ‘we need to talk’… Read more »
Coping with the highs and lows of a rollercoaster relationship
When your relationship is an ‘emotional rollercoaster’, it tends to have lots of highs and lows – often in rapid succession. One day you’re arguing intensely, the next you’re feeling really happy and close. You may find it hard to predict what things are going to be like on any given day, or when they… Read more »
‘My partner isn’t committed to our relationship’
Feeling our partner has commitment issues can be stressful and isolating – and can make us doubt the future of our relationship. We may hope our partner will come round to the idea of a long-term relationship. We may believe, sometimes justifiably, that our partner wants to be committed to our relationship. But it never quite works… Read more »
When sex isn’t working out ok
Feeling like you aren’t getting what you want in bed and being unable to ask for it can be frustrating and upsetting. Sex can be a really a tricky topic. We may feel we don’t know how to express ourselves to our partner. Or we may feel confused or embarrassed about why things aren’t ‘working’…. Read more »
‘Feeling sad’ in a relationship may verge on ‘giving up’
When we start out in a relationship, we might have lots of ideas about what it will be like and how it will make us feel. We might imagine it will give us a sense of fulfilment and make us feel happy and safe. We might imagine it taking an important place at the centre… Read more »
Trust: important to any relationship
Trust is an important factor in any relationship. Trust helps us to feel secure in our relationship – that, even if there are challenges further down the line, there’s still a strong foundation to fall back on. Of course, it’s not always easy to express trust constructively. Things can get in the way – insecurities… Read more »
When it feels like a one-sided relationship…
Feeling like your relationship is one-sided can be painful and upsetting. It can make you feel like a spare part in someone else’s life – as if you aren’t as important to your partner as they are to you. There are a variety of things that can make a relationship feel as if it’s one-… Read more »
Loneliness: how we feel about it
Loneliness can be a frightening prospect, and one that can cause us to act in irrational ways. Staying in an unfulfilling relationship because you’re frightened of being alone is a relatively common situation, and one that many people come to individual counselling with for help. It can be tricky to address because the fear of… Read more »
Moving in together – make it work well by avoiding the pitfalls
Moving in with your partner is an exciting new stage in your relationship. We all want it to work well – and there are a few things we can do to try and make sure of it. Our newest video Moving in together highlights six top tips that may help: