What To Do To Save Your Marriage? (Part 2)
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

We are taking Back 2 Basics!  Boiling the whole marriage crisis — and turning it around — right down to the very basics.  Last week, I started a 2-part session with the 3 C’s you need to do to turn things around.  (FIND THE EPISODE RIGHT HERE)

How to save your marriage:  carrying out your efforts to address the 3 C's with the 4C's of Calm, Constant, Consistent, and Courageous.This week, I discuss HOW you carry out those 3 C’s… using the 4 C’s.  Think of the last episode of giving you the targets you need to address.  This is HOW you address your efforts.

Many people want to save their marriage… and they even have an idea of the areas they need to address (last episode).  They may be very clear about what went wrong (the first episode of this series). But then, panic sets in.  And their efforts backfire.  They can’t get traction.  Their spouse pushes back.

It doesn’t have to be that way!  There is a simple formula for you to follow (back to basics) on how you implement your plan… the plan to address those 3 targets.  4 simple guidelines… those 4 C’s, will guide you and keep you out of trouble.

After the last episode came out, a listener/reader contacted me and said, “There is no way it is that easy.”  I agreed.  The process is not easy.  It is, however, pretty simple and straightforward… unless you complicate it unnecessarily.  Sure, it seems overwhelming.  But that is the reason for this series.

To break it down into the basic pieces.  To give you a simple roadmap to follow.  To remind you of what is most important.  Those targets?  The 3 C’s?  Incredibly important.  Those guidelines?  The 4 C’s?  Incredibly important.

Let’s get this process going.

Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCE:
B2B:  What Went Wrong?
B2B:  What To Do?
BOOK:  Marriage Fail Point
BOOK:  How To Save Your Marriage in 3 Simple Steps
PROGRAM:  Save The Marriage System

What Do You Do To Save A Marriage? (Part 1)
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

In this second episode of the Back2Basics series, we shift away from “what happened” (see the last episode) to “what now?”  Sure, you want to start by understanding why marriages (including YOUR marriage) can get into trouble.  But that only gets you to the start of your efforts.  (I also cover this in my book, Marriage Fail Point.)

3 Steps Approach to saving your marriage.In this episode, we shift to what now?  You know your marriage is in crisis.  Now, you know how it got there.  Let’s talk about an overall approach to saving your marriage… my 3C Approach.

When I wrote my book, How To Save Your Marriage In 3 Simple Steps, I outlined these three steps.  But more importantly, I noted that the approach to saving a marriage is much more simple than most people believe.

We tend to complicate things, when we really need to be simplifying, boiling things down to their essentials.

Understand:  “simple” is very different than “easy.”  You may find that your efforts to save your marriage are hard.  Scary.  Exhausting.

But don’t complicate them.  Go back to the basics.

Listen below for the 3 Steps To Save Your Marriage.

RELATED RESOURCES:
B2B- What Happened?
Book:  Marriage Fail Points
Book:  How To Save Your Marriage In 3 Simple Steps
Grab The System:  Save The Marriage System

What Went Wrong?? – Back2Basics Series
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

What went wrong with your marriage?  Tune in to this episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast for clarity on how your marriage got into trouble... and how to get it back .It can get so overwhelming, all the information coming at you!  What you want is to save your marriage.  But you are probably already overwhelmed with the situation… much less, getting help for your situation!

Sometimes, it is just time to “get back to basics.”  This B2B series is my attempt to take it down to simplicity… what happened, why did it happen, and what do you do?

In this episode of the podcast (listen below), we take a look at what happened:  how your marriage got into trouble, how your relationship got disconnected, and how your marriage slid into crisis.

Since we don’t get much help in understanding what marriage is about (much less, how to be married), it shouldn’t be a surprise that marriages DO get into trouble.  The question is, when you find you are in a crisis, what do you do to get yourself and your marriage to a better place?

And so, we start with what went wrong.  Discover how a marriage stalls, why it starts falling, and how it ends up in a nosedive.

Listen to the episode below.

RELATED RESOURCES:
Book:  Marriage Fail Point
Step-by-Step System:  Save The Marriage System
Connection and Disconnection
Being a WE

3 Turning Points of Saving Your Marriage
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

3 Turning Points in saving your marriage.Many times, people contact me to tell me that their marriage is… well… continuing to spiral down, in spite of their efforts.

Over the years, I have noted some “turning points,” when things often start turning around.  And I want to share 3 of these turning points with you.

Here is the good news:  all 3 turning points I note are 100% within your control.  Yes, there are other events and actions that can also turn things (or at least, start turning things).  It is not JUST these 3 turning points.  There are others.

But these turning points I chose to highlight are ones you can choose at any time and at any point.

To be clear, just because you make a change, that does not guarantee that things WILL turn around.  (I would be able to retire, if that were the case.)  It’s just that these actions often are the turning points in the effort to save your marriage.

Will making the 3 turns guarantee a saved marriage?  No.  But they may just make a shift.  Playing the odds, doesn’t it make sense to give the 3 turning points a chance for change?

Listen to the podcast episode below for the 3 Turning Points.

RELATED RESOURCES
Chasing Won’t Work
Response-Able
Show Up
Will YOUR Marriage Be Saved?

Your Fail Point
Marriage Fail Points Book
Save The Marriage System

Why People Get Derailed
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Why people get derailed and fail to save their marriage... and how to stay on-course in order to save your marriage.When a marriage crisis hits, people kick into gear!  They dig in and work on their relationship. Many times, they start to see results.  Things are turning for the better.  The relationship is warming.  Things aren’t quite so hostile.

But then….

They get derailed.  Thrown off-course.  Lost in the crisis.

Not surprisingly, any gains made are quickly lost.  Things become even more tense and fractured.

Why did they get derailed?  Four reasons:  Distracted, Distanced, Doubtful, and Discouraged.

I go into each of these… as well as how to avoid falling into the trap and getting derailed… in this week’s Save The Marriage Podcast.  You can listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES
You Need A Plan
Can Your Marriage Be Saved?
When Is It Too Late?
Your Fail Points
Book:  The Marriage Fail Point
Save The Marriage System

Why “Space” Is Hard
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Why Emotional Space is SO Hard, including physical separation.  Fear of intimacy versus fear of abandonment.So many marital crises start with this phrase, “I’m not happy.”  In panic mode, a spouse reacts and things get worse.

The next step is often, “I need space.”  But that is even scarier!  And in panic mode, a spouse reacts and things get worse.

Maybe an in-house separation.  Maybe a full separation.  Emotional separation becomes physical separation.

All from a spouse stating an emotional state of concern:  “I’m not happy.”

One part of dealing with a marital crisis is dealing with “emotional space.”  It is crucial to understand emotional space.

Today, I want to discuss why that emotional space is so difficult to manage.  Why do people get sucked into taking actions that cause more issues?  Why do people find it so hard to give a spouse that requested “space”?

We discuss why “space” is so hard on this episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast.  Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES
Where is the Gap?
Fears and Marriage
Boundaries in Marriage
How To Show Up
Save The Marriage System

Before You Separate
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

BeforeYouSeparateYou don’t want it.  But your spouse insists.  A separation has to happen.

Or maybe you thought you wanted a separation… hoping it would help.  But after reading my stuff or listening to my podcasts, you might realize that this is NOT the best idea.

In fact, you realize that you have now escalated the crisis by not a little, but a lot!  This is not an incrimental shift.  It is much bigger.

So, now what?

What do you do to try and minimize the damage… even setting up the separation so that there is a way back?

Most people think separation might just be a way of getting things back “on track.”  But not if you don’t set it up that way.  Not if you don’t plan for resolution.

Separation does not have to be a disaster.  But without planning, it often is.

In this week’s Save The Marriage Podcast, I discuss what you need to do BEFORE you separate… so that it leads back to marriage.

Listen to the episode below.

RELATED RESOURCES
When Is It Time To Separate?
Arc of Disconnection
Angry and Hurt
Dealing with Conflict
Save The Marriage System

 

When Is It Time To Separate?
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

WhenTimeToSeparateI think I have made it clear that I am not a fan of separation.  Generally, it is a trial run at divorce, a “dress rehearsal.”

But is there a time when it is necessary to separate?  When it is actually a good idea to separate?

Many couples face this question every year.  They ponder the question, mulling it over.  Should they separate?  What does a separation do for the prospects of saving a marriage?

Having had this conversation with couples and individuals many times over my career, I can tell you that the conversation, itself, is painful and tough.  Much less, actually separating.

Sometimes, there has to be a separation.  In fact, in one instance, I think it is absolutely necessary.

Then, there are times when you may want to resist, but realize that there is more damage done by NOT separating than by separating.

In this episode of the Save The Marriage Podcast, I answer the question, “When is it time to separate?”  Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES
Separation Resources
“How I Saved My Marriage”
Can You Save Your Marriage?
Anger and Marriage
Save The Marriage System

Oh, No! Valentine’s Day and A Marriage Crisis
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

what to do about valentines day when your relationship is in trouble.It can be tricky.  Valentine’s Day is coming and your marriage is in trouble.  What do you do?  Acknowledge it?  Avoid it?  Hope it passes… and you can breathe a sigh of relief?

I have talked about this issue in the past, but wanted to make sure you could get to the resources as quickly as possible.

Here are links to 3 articles and episodes of my podcast that will help you navigate the holiday:

Don’t Blame Valentine!

Valentine’s Day: A Dangerous Idea?

Marriage In Trouble: What To Do About Valentine’s Day!

And, if you are ready to save your marriage, and get back to having wonderful Valentine’s Day celebrations, PLEASE grab my Save The Marriage System

Grab the Save The Marriage System HERE

Are You Hurting Or Helping?
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Are you helping or harming your marriage and your chances of saving it?You’ve been working on saving your marriage… and you aren’t seeing the traction you want.  Or maybe is just isn’t moving as fast as you would like.

Sometimes, it can take more time than you think or want.

But are there times that your efforts are doing more harm than good?

Are there times you are hurting, not helping, your relationship and your chances at saving it?

Yes.

There are common situations I see in my coaching, where someone’s efforts to save a marriage are actually doing more harm than good.  Interestingly, people make the same mistakes others have made.

More interestingly, they are easy to see when they are pointed out.  And more importantly, they can be corrected, once you can see them.

So, let’s talk about the times when people do more harm than good in their efforts to save a marriage.

RELATED RESOURCES
Importance of Connection
Stop Chasing
Apologies and Forgiving
You Need A Plan
Show Up
Save The Marriage System