hitched

The moving truck buzzed while we flew by cars waiting to exit the 8-lane freeway. "Hey, you were supposed to turn there! You donít listen to me!" I hollered at my husband, Steve. For two days I had navigated and several times he decided to go a different way adding hours to our drive. He looked at me with narrowed eyes and said, "I donít want to go that way." My heart beat faster and hands started sweating.

According to the NIH, communication and conflict resolution are directly related to relationship well-being. And for the couples I see in my office, communication is by far the most prevailing concern. Interestingly, what my clients see as falling into the communication bucket are as varied as the people themselves. Trouble with communication tends to indicate a state of disconnection where neither party feels heard nor more importantly, valued.

Unlike postpartum depression (PPD), many people are unaware of postpartum anxiety (PPA). This is true despite the fact that research shows it impacts approximately 10-15% of women. Whereas PPD is characterized by feelings of sadness, PPA is associated with excessive worry that is difficult to control, restlessness, and difficulties relaxing. Research suggests that 30% of the time PPD and PPA cooccur.

Everyone wants an enjoyable, smoothly running relationship. But not everyone knows how to get there. With these 10 tips, you can create an enduring, enjoyable, magical, passionate union with your partner. 1. Care 150% About the Other Person's Feelings and Well-Being: Show that you care 150% about your partner’s feelings and well-being. By doing that both you and your partner can feel loved and safe in the relationship knowing both have the other's best interests in mind.

While there are many ingredients that go into having a successful, long-term relationship, fighting fair is at the top of my list. The need to be authentic and speak your mind in a relationship is essential, but often causes conflict. Similarly, old buttons from childhood invariably get pushed in your closest relationship and the reaction can be extreme. Fighting in relationships is unavoidable.

Marriage isnít a cake that you put in the oven and check on in 15 years. You need to be an active participant in cultivating, nurturing, and energizing your relationship with your partner. This is particularly important given that American Psychological Association has found that 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce and 60-70% of second marriages end in divorce.

Emotional eating is a concern of many women across the nation. It is no surprise with food being at the forefront of most gatherings, rewards, and commercials that we have such a fixation on food. For many women, the thought of not turning to food for comfort seems impossible. Often, without even thinking we turn to treats to reward our children, spouses or co-workers; and even to reward us for reaching health goals.

Our culture exhorts us to fake it till you make it, power pose your way into the job, look strong, act strong, be strong. And yetÖthe fear of failure, rejection and criticism keeps so many of us from realizing our dreams. Not to mention feeling ridiculous trying to puff yourself up and look like you know what youíre doing. And yet, there is a connection between your posture, breath, facial expression, and how you walk; connected with your nervous system. Your brain interprets everything.

Itís been a longstanding trend: we expect to live longer lives than our parents. But now the tide is turning. Recent research suggests that if present trends continue young Americans (those born between 1964 and 1989) will die earlier than their nearest and dearest ancestors. As a group, our young people are in poor physical health. We can track an increased incidence of chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of markers including hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance).

If you are a stepmother, there is no doubt you have found yourself in what can feel like a no-win situation. The very basic nature of being a stepmother, or an "outsider" who has joined the family circle, means that you’ll be examined under a microscope and potentially the recipient of criticism and emotional unloading… and that’s just for starters! It is important not to deny your feelings, suppress them, or beat yourself up for feeling the way that you do.