This originally appeared on CharlieGlickman.com. Republished here with permission. There are a lot of reasons our sexual desires and interests don’t always match up with those of our partners. Changing tastes, medical or mental health challenges, busy work schedules, stress and juggling different demands, and simply having different libidos can make it hard to find […]
Originally appeared on Alternet.org. Republished here with permission. Every relationship begins with that first step. Some people never get past that first step. First impressions matter, and our opening few lines can either energize the interaction or cause the other person to look around for the nearest exit. Gratefully, psychologists have spent years of celibacy […]
Waking up to your long-term partner and asking yourself “How the hell did I end up with this asshole?” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re with the wrong person. It means you’re in a relationship, and relationships are hard. A few years back my husband and I went away for the weekend with another couple. We’ll call […]
Relationships are hard, but they’re hard for everyone, not just you. Therapist Lyla Cicero offers her advice on how to have realistic expectations of your partner and your partnership, and how to help others in the process. 1) Act How You Feel (Within Reason): We’ve all been around those couples bickering violently in public or […]
Ashley Lauren Samsa bought CDs to commemorate the end of a relationship with old boyfriends. She answers why she’s kept those CDs all these years. When I was packing my things to move in with my husband, I came across an old shoebox underneath my bed at my mom’s house, where I had moved back […]
Marriage isn’t just about making each other happy, it’s about making each other better people. Eric Sentell discusses families of origin, engaging the “crazy cycle,” and navigating conflict in a marriage. The real wonder is not how hard marriage proves to be after the honeymoon wears off, but rather that it is manageable at all. […]
Emily Heist Moss has gone on lots of Internet dates. She shares some tips she’s learned along the way. I go on a lot of dates, so many, in fact, that I’ve forgotten most of them. Months afterwards, I see these gentlemen around the city and I can’t place them, wondering if we were in […]
You’ve known each other for a long time, but you’ve both grown up and changed along the way. At what point—and how—do you acknowledge that the friendship is no longer working? I am bad at conflict. It’s embarrassing how bad I am at it, actually, considering so much of my life is based on creating […]
