Posts Tagged :

marriage advice

Marriage Wrecker: Conflict
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Conflict can wreck your marriage.  Don’t let it!  Learn how conflict can help you improve your marriage, not destroy it.Over the last couple of episodes, I have been looking at what wrecks marriage.  First, I discussed Expectations.  Then, I discussed Disconnection.

In this episode, we look at another “Marriage Wrecker”:  Conflict.

Yes, I know, plenty of people will tell you that conflict is inevitable in marriage.  And it is certainly true that every marriage… any relationship that is as intimate as marriage… is going to include disagreements and differences-of-opinions.

That is not the question.  The question is, how do you deal with the disagreements?  How do you do conflict?  If you aren’t careful, conflict can wreck your marriage.

Why?  Because it often becomes adversarial — going for the win, not for the relationship.

In this episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast, we look at how conflict can wreck your marriage… or how you can keep it from happening.

Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES
Marriage Wrecker:  Expectations
Marriage Wrecker:  Disconnection
The Role of Conflict
Fighting FOR Your Marriage
Conflict To Intimacy
Save The Marriage System

Marriage Wrecker: Disconnection
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

A marriage wrecker is disconnection.  Disconnection can eat away at the foundations of your marriage, creating a vicious cycle, leading to relational collapse.Your marriage is hurting.  Why?  What happened?  What wrecked your marriage?

In the last podcast episode, I discussed how expectations can wreck a marriage.

But unfortunately, there are some other issues and concerns that can wreck your marriage.  This week’s Marriage Wrecker is right at the top of the list.

In fact, it is a recurring theme in my work with couples.  After discussing it in several coaching sessions in the last few days, I thought it was a good topic for an episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast.

What is connection?  What is DISconnection… and why does it happen?  We start there.  We discuss how connection is the life-blood of your relationship… and what happens when it gets squeezed off… often for what seem like good reasons!

The result, though, is the same, even when disconnection is unintentional. (And it almost always is.)

I also cover what to do when you realize the cycle and are ready to break it (what to know and how to approach it, so you don’t get thrown off).

Listen to this important episode below.

RELATED RESOURCES
Danger of Expectations
Connection and Disconnection Resources
Pause Button Marriage
Book:  How To Save Your Marriage In 3 Simple Steps
System:  Save The Marriage

Not Doing or Not Knowing What To Do
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Every day, I hear from people who are stuck in a marriage crisis.  When I ask them, “what are you doing to work on your marriage?”, their response is:  “Well, not much…. I’m stuck.”

Not doing anything versus not even knowing WHAT to do. Just to clarify, these folks are all wanting to save their marriage.  None want their relationship to just end.  That’s why they are reaching out to me.

HERE IS WHO I AM

They (and probably you) want to save your marriage.  And yet many times, nothing is really happening.  Maybe you’ve already tried something.  But many times, there hasn’t really been any action.

What’s going on here?  Why no action?

Years ago, a health crisis made me take a long look in the mirror.  Did I know that not exercising was not good?  Yep.  Did I know that eating poorly was not good?  Yep.

And still, I didn’t exercise and I didn’t eat well.

Then, my body rebelled.  To the point that I had doctors telling me that I was headed for disability… and eventual death.  That will get your attention!

I was fortunate.  While their diagnosis was correct, the prognosis was not.  I beat the odds and recovered.  Not because I was taking better care of myself.  I just got lucky.

But it got my attention!  I realized that I had to turn things around… before the next crisis came along… one that I could not beat.

So, I started exercising.  I tried to eat better.  I WANTED to get better.  And sure, there was a difference.  I got in better shape.  I was dealing with stress better.  And yes, in some ways, I was eating better.

My weight, though, didn’t shift much.  I kept trying to eat better… but not much changed on the scale.

Yes, I was frustrated.  I kept telling myself I was DOING something.  But really, it was only a minor shift.  Mostly because I did not understand HOW to make a change.

Did I want to lose weight and get into better shape?  Absolutely.  Had I made some progress?  No doubt.  Had anything truly changed?  Nope.  Except now, I was well aware of my plight?  I knew I needed to change.  I just wasn’t doing anything that was going to make a change.

Know why?

I didn’t know how!

Sometimes, we say we want to do something… but we really don’t.  We just think we should want to do it.  But many times, we really do want to make a change… we just lack the know-how.

So, I started researching.  No, I did not want to do the research on how to eat better.  No, I didn’t even want to be an expert in eating better.  But I wanted to FIND the expert… the person who had already done the research.  Then, I could just follow what they had already found.

First stop was the Slow Carb Diet.  It worked.  I lost weight.  But on cheat days, I felt absolutely awful.  So, I dug deeper and found the Paleo approach.  That was like magic.  Since then, I have just been fine-tuning as I find better research.  That has included Keto dieting, Intermittent Fasting, etc.  My body weight?  I’m 6’4”, and weigh 185.  I wear the same pant waist size as in college.  My body fat is around 11%.  Not bad for an almost-54 year old.

Was it because I became an expert?

No.  It was because I found expertise and followed their advice.  I didn’t need to reinvent something.  I just needed to follow something.

What about marriage?

Here is the honest truth:  most people fail in marriage because nobody told them what marriage was really about.

HERE IS A TRAINING ON WHAT MARRIAGE IS REALLY ABOUT

And even if you might have some idea of what a marriage is about, what do you do when there is a crisis?  There is no reason for you to know how to deal with a crisis.  We rarely know what to do when something unexpected hits.

What caused the problem?

HERE IS A TRAINING ON WHY MARRIAGES GET INTO TROUBLE

“Sure,” you might say, “things haven’t been the best.  But they weren’t the worst.  Why a crisis now?”

HERE IS A TRAINING ON WHY YOU ARE IN CRISIS NOW

Once the crisis is here, you are likely unprepared on what to do.  So, let me suggest taking a look at my Back To Basics Series.

HERE IS THE BACK TO BASICS SERIES OF TRAINING

Here’s what I know:  you are serious about saving your marriage.  That means you have a desire to save your marriage.  But as we have discussed, wanting to save your marriage is far different than knowing how to save your marriage.

The fact that you are not willing to just give up and walk away is commendable.  It is COURAGEOUS to decide to work on saving a marriage.  Saving your marriage MATTERS.

But here is where the “rubber hits the road.”  Desire to save your marriage is not enough.  You need steps.  You need a plan.

How are your efforts going?  Are you stuck?  Let’s get you through this.

Do you have my Save The Marriage System?

“NO” – Click HERE To GRAB My SAVE THE MARRIAGE SYSTEM

“YES” – Click HERE To LEARN MORE About Coaching Options For MORE HELP

Look, I recognize that saving a marriage can be tough, painful, scary, and frustrating.  As much as you WANT to do it, you have to KNOW HOW to do it.  Otherwise, you will either get stuck because you don’t know what to do or make it worse by doing the wrong thing.

It is too important to stay stuck.  It isn’t your fault that you didn’t know what to do.  But it is up to you to figure it out… for you, your spouse, your marriage, and your family.  So, let’s make sure you have what you need.  Let’s get you “up to speed” and get you moving ahead.

It is always your choice on whether to save your marriage or not.  If you decide to, then the next decision is to find out how.

If you need a System that has been tested and refined for nearly 3 decades, GO HERE TO GRAB MY SAVE THE MARRIAGE SYSTEM.

If you have my System, but still need more help, CHECK OUT MY OTHER RESOURCES HERE.

I’m pulling for you!

Lee Baucom, Ph.D.
Creator of the Save The Marriage System
Author of How To Save Your Marriage In 3 Simple Steps, Recovering From The Affair, Marriage Failpoint, Thrive Principles, The Immutable Laws Of Living, The Forgive Process
Host of Save The Marriage Podcast and Thriveology Podcast

“How I Saved My Marriage”
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

HowYouSavedYourMarriageMany times, in the midst of trying to save a marriage, the anxiety and fears can lock you up, overwhelmed with what to do next.

When that happens, the outcome is often a lack of change, motivation, or action.

And things continue in the downward spiral.

So today, I want to invite you to use your imagination — a little Jedi mind trick.  Imagine that you DID save your marriage.  You HAVE created a loving, supportive, respectful marriage.  You look forward to spending time together.  Your issues resolve themselves peacefully and effectively.

Now, you are looking back to see what you did, in order to save your marriage.  You notice how you approached the situation, how you dealt with the issues, and how you moved forward — even in the face of frustration and difficulties.

In today’s podcast, we reflect on “what you did” to save your marriage — and by doing that, we create a path for you to do just that:  Save Your Marriage.

Listen below.

(and if you are ready to take action, CLICK HERE FOR MY SYSTEM)

Games Couples Play — Are YOU?
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Games Couples PlayGames should be fun.  But the games we are talking about today are NOT fun.

These are patterns of interaction and communication.

The design is to get a need met.  But behind it is a dysfunction.  It may be a lack of clarity in what someone wants or expects.  It may be an unwillingness to say what a person wants or needs.  It may be a false expectation of how things should be.  But somewhere is a false belief.

And that false belief — along with the effort to fulfill that belief — is what leads to the (destructive) game.

Are you playing one of these games?

 

3 Reasons Your Spouse Doesn’t See A Change
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

SpouseDoesntSeeChangeYou’ve been working hard.  You’ve been trying to make some personal changes, growing and expanding yourself.  You’ve been trying to build a connection with your spouse, slowly and steadily.

You feel good about what you are doing.  You believe you are gaining grown.

But then, your spouse doesn’t notice any change at all!

What happened?  Why can’t your spouse see the changes?

It can be challenging, frustrating, hurtful, and downright defeating.  But there is a reason your spouse isn’t noticing (or admitting to noticing) the changes.

In fact, there are 3 reasons why your spouse doesn’t see the changes.

Let’s take a look at the 3 reasons, and start creating a strategy to make those changes visible.

Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES:
Save The Marriage System
VIP Program (If you have the System and are ready to Up Your Game)

 

Apathy. . .
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

DealingWithApathySo, what DO you do when apathy strikes?  It might be YOUR apathy.  But more likely, it will be your spouse’s apathy.  It just seems there is no emotion, no care, no concern.

What IS apathy?

What does it mean?

Why does it happen?

And most importantly, what can you do about it?

This week, we explore dealing with YOUR apathy, then dealing with YOUR SPOUSE’S apathy.

RELATED RESOURCES
You Are The Best Tool
Dealing With Disconnection
“Too Little, Too Late”?
Start With What Is
You Need A Plan
3 C’s Of Saving Your Marriage
Dealing With Anxiety
No Contact Is Crap
No Reverse Psychology
Interview with Gary Chapman
Save The Marriage System

Why “I’ll Try Anything” Is NOT A Plan
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

"I'll do anything" is NOT a plan to save your marriage!Desperation.  It is never a good guide.  Desperation leads you down any and every approach.  And in the process, you get nowhere.

I know, because I have seen it happen.  Someone will say to me, “I’ll try anything to save my marriage.”  And they try everything.

Book after book, resource after resource, and unfortunately, trick after trick.  They leave themselves exhausted and their spouse confused.

Doing “anything” often ends up being “everything,” which ends up doing “nothing.”

What a difference, though, when someone finds an approach that agrees with their ethics and worldview, from someone who is qualified to help, that matches their situation, and passes the “smell and taste test,” as well as the “mirror test.”

The marriage has a chance.  The relationship can get some traction.

We live in a world full of information.  That information is not the same as knowledge, and often far from wisdom.  It’s just information.

Learn why “doing anything” is dangerous, and the 5 steps to assessing everything you see.  You CAN create a plan that works, with an approach that fits, when you know how to assess the information.

RELATED RESOURCES
Need A Plan
Wishing And Hoping Is NOT A Plan
What Therapists Don’t Tell You
Showing Up
“No Contact” Is Bad Advice
Another Bit of Bad Advice
Save The Marriage System

Top 10 Myths of Saving Your Marriage
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Top 10 Myths of Saving Your Marriage.Let’s just start with a question I hear all the time:  “My spouse doesn’t want to work on the marriage.  So, there is nothing I can do, right?”

Wrong.

This is one of the top myths about saving your marriage.

I work with many people who are trying to save their marriage with a spouse who is not willing to work on the relationship.

But there are other myths.  For example, many people believe they need to “just talk it out,” or take a big trip, buy a house, have a child. . . .  And yet, none of these work.  All myths of saving your marriage.

Or how about the number of people looking for some hint, trick, or tip that will do it.  People want that simple little “mind trick” (some Jedi, ninja, CIA, reverse-psychology, NLP “thingy”) that will turn things around.  Myth.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t save your marriage!  Just that you don’t want to get “suckered” by one of the myths.

Want to know the Top 10 Myths of Saving Your Marriage?  Listen below.

Want to know how to truly save your marriage?  CLICK HERE

RELATED RESOURCES:
Top 10 Myths of Marriage
Top 10 Myths of Marital Therapy

 

Lessons From Over 1/4 Century Married — Anniversary Message
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Lessons from my marriage.  27 years and counting.My wife and I quietly celebrated 27 years of marriage together last week.

In some ways, it seems like that day was just a short while ago.  In other ways, it seems like we have been married forever (and I mean that in a good way).

We stood, side-by-side, in the heat of a summer day, promising to love and cherish each other.  I think we have done a pretty darn good job.

I will never do it perfectly.  But I keep working on perfecting it.

It occurred to me that I have learned some lessons along the way.  I wanted to share those lessons with you.  Partly, I share to remind myself of our journey.  And partly, I share in the hopes it is helpful.

Let me know what you think!