Posts Tagged :

help with marriage

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

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

Special Holiday Edition: Ghosts of Relationship Past
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Do you settle down with a good book you have read over and over this time of year?  I read my kids the exact same Christmas book every single year.  And many years, I re-read a classic for myself… like A Christmas Carol.  This year, I want to offer a redux of a prior podcast episode… about the Ghosts of Your Relationship Past.  Yep.  Christmas, with new opportunities.  Here it is:


The Ghosts of Relationship Past.Christmas Eve.  Chris and Holly have settled into bed.  Neither can sleep.  It is not, however, sugarplums dancing in their heads.

Both are replaying the arguments and hurts of the past.  Neither feels connected, although both are desperate for that warm embrace each used to treasure.

What happened?  Where did their relationship fall into trouble?

Can they find their way back?

First, they will have to make it through a night of haunts, as the Ghosts of Relationship Past visit them this night.

Are they the same ghosts that haunt your relationship?  Is there a path through the pain?

Listen in as Chris and Holly face the hauntings of their relationship.

Is It Quitting Time? Resources to Help…
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Is it quitting time?  Or do you keep on pushing?It would be nice if the process of saving your marriage is straight-forward, direct, and without any bumps along the way.

Rarely is that the case.  Many times, it is 2 steps forward and 3 steps back, then 3 steps forward  and 2 steps back.  Sometimes, it can feel like nothing is moving.  Then, things lurch… even jump… forward.

The biggest risk?  Discouragement and frustration leading you to quit.  Friends and family encouraging you to quit.

No, you don’t have to keep on trying, indefinitely.  There are times when you might decide to quit.  But what you don’t want to happen is for your emotions to lead you to quit.  IF it comes to it, you want to decide to quit.  Not just feel like quitting.  But making a decision.

Otherwise, you want to make sure you keep heading forward.

And when you are frustrated, feeling discouraged, and listening to those “quit” messages, you may need some help staying on-course.

Below are some selected trainings to help you deal with those times.

Can This Marriage BE Saved?

When You Are Frustrated and Feel Like Giving Up…

When It Seems Easier To Just Quit and Walk Away…

When Discouragement Is Hitting Hard…

4 Fears That Stop Your Efforts

Dealing With NaySayers

3 Ways To Stay In The Game When You Want To Quit

7 Strategies When You Hear “This Will Never Work” and “I Don’t Love You”

Is It Time To Throw In The Towel?

Is It Too Late To Save Your Marriage?

Save The Marriage System

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 NOT To Tell…
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

Why you should not tell your friends and family about your marriage crisis.I know.  It’s tempting.  Your marriage is having troubles and you want to talk about it.  Maybe your friends would be good to tell.  Or maybe your family can listen.  Or perhaps you should contact your in-laws to “talk some sense” into your spouse.

Don’t.  Stop.  Think again before you share.

Those words that feel so good right now may come back to haunt you can cause other problems when things turn around.

You may be thinking that you will only be telling to get support and love.  And you might get support.  But that support likely includes siding with you.  And if someone sides with you, they will likely side against your spouse.

When you talk to someone about a problem with someone else, you create a “triangle,” to use a term from communication experts.  And that triangle may feel good and feel more stable.  But it complicates the original conflict and issues.

And that often serves to further undermine the relationship… along with the chances for recovery.

Does that mean that you can’t get help and support?

Nope.  You just want to go about getting support the right way.

I discuss the reasons why NOT to tell others about your marriage problems in this week’s podcast episode… along with who TO tell.  Listen below.

RELATED RESOURCES
Conflict and Marriage
Communication Is Not The Issue
Anxiety and Anger in a Crisis
Chronic To Crisis
Save The Marriage System

5 MORE Myths of Marriage (That Can Get You Into Trouble Fast)
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

5 more myths of marriage that can hurt your marriage.In the last episode, I covered 5 myths of marriage that can get you into trouble.  In this episode, I reveal 5 more.  Equally dangerous.

Especially in your efforts to save your marriage.

The first set of myths were about the nature of marriage.

This set of myths are assumptions about what happens to a marriage in trouble.

If you or your spouse believe these myths, you might find yourself really struggling with any attempt to save your marriage.

Take a listen to these myths of marriage that may be hurting your efforts to save your marriage.

5 Myths of Marriage (That Can Get You Into Trouble Fast)
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

5 Myths of Marriage that get you into trouble.Myths aren’t just interesting stories. They are pieces of false information that can get us into trouble. Myths form false beliefs that can cause you to act in damaging ways. And there are quite a few myths around marriage.

Each myth can cause problems.  But most people believe multiple myths, multiplying the mess.

Myths make assumptions and form ideas. If you believe the myth, the ideas make sense. And the actions based on those ideas make sense.

Except that the underlying assumptions are false.

Which means the actions are faulty.

But the damage is real.

If you know someone (or even belief it yourself) who thinks there is “THE One,” the one person destined to be your spouse — you already know one of these myths. And you may have discovered the damage done.  If not, you may discover it down the road.

In this week’s podcast episode, I cover 5 myths.  In the next episode, I will cover 5 more.

See if YOU believe any of these myths.

The Danger of the Yo-Yo Method
150 150 Lee H. Baucom, Ph.D.

The dangers of the Yo Yo Method of saving a marriage. tDo you know about “yo-yo dieting,” where people start a plan and lose weight, drop off the plan and gain it back, only to repeat that over and over?

Did you know that each time that happens, it makes it harder to lose weight the next time?  Did you know that this pattern places people at higher risk of other medical issues?

Did you know that many people do the exact same thing in their efforts to save a marriage?

They start working on things, even start making some progress.  And then, they stop — for many reasons, but in the end, they stop.  And things get worse.  So, they start again.  It may take a little more effort and a little more time.  But things get better.  Then they stop.  Guess what?  Things get worse again.

That is the Yo-Yo Method of saving a marriage.

Don’t Do It!

Listen to this week’s podcast and learn why it happens (and how to stop it).

THEN CLICK HERE AND LET’S SOLVE IT, ONCE AND FOR ALL.