If you believe in God (YHWH from the Bible) and are interested in dating for marriage, this is an interesting conversation to check out. It may leave you feeling convicted about how you live  your life and go about courting / dating for marriage. 

If you are a person who is interested in the science of relationships, this is a good introductory conversation to hear. 

Feminism and how a person lives out their version of this ideology can be a tricky subject when it comes up in therapy sessions.  I don't have the answer to if Feminism is good for you or bad for you; however, I have come across a thought provoking conversation that I think is worth sharing, so people can contemplate their personal relationship with feminist ideologies. 

Here are a few strategies that may help you mentally survive the financial stress of economic hard times:

1. Take care of your physical health: Make sure to get enough sleep, eat healthy, and exercise regularly. Taking care of your body can help improve your mood and overall well-being.
2. Practice gratitude: It can be easy to focus on what we don't have during difficult times, but practicing gratitude can help shift our focus to what we do have. Try keeping a gratitude journal, where you write down a few things you're thankful for each day.
3. Stay connected: Social support is important for our mental health. Make an effort to stay connected with friends and family, either in person or through technology. If people are willing to help you, practice humility, and accept the help. 
4. Find ways to manage stress: Stress can take a toll on our mental health. Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as meditation, prayer, reading scripture, spending time in nature, watch something that will make you laugh, or exercise.
5. Seek professional help if needed: If you're struggling to cope with the challenges of economic hard times, it may be helpful to seek the support of a mental health professional and/or a non-profit financial financial planning service. They can provide you with coping strategies and support to help you get through this difficult time.

It's not about getting someone to like you because you want them to. It's about finding someone who genuinely likes you for who you are. Here are a few things you can do to increase your chances of finding someone who likes you for you:

1. Be yourself: Don't try to be someone you're not in order to impress others.
   
2. Treat others with kindness and respect: This is important for any relationship, but especially so when it comes to dating.
   
3. Take care of yourself: Physical attraction is important, but it's not the only thing that matters. Make sure you're taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health.
   
4. Be confident: Believe in yourself and your own worth. This will make you more attractive to others.
   
5. Be open to new experiences: Try new things and be open to meeting new people. This will help you find someone who shares your interests and values.
   

Remember, it's important to be patient and to keep an open mind. It may take time to find someone who is right for you, but it will be worth it when you do.

I have encountered several couples who grapple with the idea of the what their preferred leadership dynamic needs to be for their relationship.  At the heart of the conversation is the question of, who is in charge of this relationship; or in other words, who holds the power to decide what we do and / or who is accountable for safety and security of needs when life throws extreme challenges at us? 

This is an important question that I believe is beneficial for all (western culture)  couples to discuss. As a framework for this conversation, I recommend borrowing terms from organizational leadership theory. Please consider this list of the 5 most common leadership styles as you contemplate the leadership dynamic of your relationship. 

• Transformational Leadership
• Laissez-Faire Leadership
• Authoritative Leadership
• Transactional Leadership
• Democratic Leadership

Each leadership style has pros and cons for the leader and the teammate in the marriage. If you and your spouse haven't discussed leadership in your marriage yet, I hope you will give it a try and see what comes from the discussion.  

 (It isn't you... It isn't me... It's our negative interaction cycle!  The #1 problem of your relationship is the combination of two people's self protective behavior when they both feel scared in a relationship.  In emotionally focused therapy (EFT), we call this relationship pattern a negative interaction cycle.   The image below depict what the negative interaction cycle is in terms of how it can manifest via emotions and self protective behaviors in a relationship. 
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The next image depicts what happens when an EFT trained therapist gets involved with a couple and begins to help them learn how to de-escalate and heal old attachment wounds, so the couple can exit their negative interaction cycle at will. 

This old bugs bunny cartoon is a perfect metaphor of what it is like to be in a relationship that has a negative interaction cycle running amuck. 

• Bugs Bunny = You / your significant other
• Plane = Your Relationship
• Gremlin = Negative Interaction Cycle

Don't let a negative interaction cycle destroy your relationship.  Increase your self-awareness, increase your emotional intelligence, and have a healthy relationship that satisfies the needs of you and your significant other by trying emotionally focused couples therapy.