{"id":4621,"date":"2019-02-28T11:22:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nafwb.org\/?p=4621"},"modified":"2019-02-28T11:22:46","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:22:46","slug":"nine-ways-to-improve-your-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/nine-ways-to-improve-your-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine Ways to Improve Your Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"

By David Burgess<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Make a Commitment. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Research substantiates\u00a0the importance of commitment\u00a0in a satisfying and\u00a0healthy relationship. Commitment\u00a0will provide the\u00a0additional motivation and\u00a0purpose when one or both\u00a0partners do not “feel” like\u00a0working on the marriage.<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Attend to Your Partner Totally. <\/strong><\/p>\n

It is important to retain\u00a0your own individuality in\u00a0any relationship. However,\u00a0when you are together, and\u00a0even on occasions when\u00a0you are apart, develop the\u00a0habit of focusing your attention\u00a0and energy on your\u00a0partner. Being attentive to\u00a0the other person’s needs\u00a0and interests will help that\u00a0person feel valued and important.\u00a0They, in turn, will\u00a0usually express their appreciation\u00a0appropriately.<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>Express Love Openly. <\/strong><\/p>\n

There are verbal and\u00a0nonverbal methods for\u00a0conveying expressions of\u00a0love. Study your partner.\u00a0Learn to understand their\u00a0specific ways of expressing\u00a0and receiving verbal\u00a0and nonverbal messages of\u00a0love. Do this often in your\u00a0relationship. Acts of love\u00a0are always acceptable\u00a0ways of telling someone\u00a0else how much they are\u00a0truly appreciated.<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>Listen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Develop the art of listening\u00a0in your relationship. It\u00a0is a skill! Research in marital\u00a0and family therapy studies\u00a0consistently emphasizes\u00a0the value of listening\u00a0skills in fulfilling and\u00a0healthy relationships.<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>Observe Your Partner. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This requires time and energy\u00a0invested in your relationship\u00a0by studying your\u00a0partner and learning about\u00a0him\/her. This means becoming\u00a0well acquainted\u00a0with likes and dislikes and\u00a0special characteristics of\u00a0your partner.<\/p>\n

6. <\/strong>Feedback. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Learning to express both\u00a0positive and negative messages\u00a0of feedback in a relationship\u00a0will enhance the\u00a0quality of intimacy between\u00a0partners. Use nods\u00a0and smiles to give your\u00a0partner feedback about\u00a0how you feel concerning\u00a0the relationship.<\/p>\n

7. <\/strong>Communicate. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Share what is on your\u00a0mind, especially your feelings.\u00a0The communication\u00a0of thought and feeling in\u00a0any relationship is a basic.<\/p>\n

8. <\/strong>Be Honest<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you communicate\u00a0your thoughts and feelings,\u00a0state honestly and openly\u00a0how you feel, as well as\u00a0what you want. It is important\u00a0to use good judgment\u00a0and to express consideration\u00a0for your partner’s\u00a0feelings. Remember, in any\u00a0workable, satisfying marriage,\u00a0honesty is important.<\/p>\n

9. <\/strong>Grow Together. <\/strong><\/p>\n

A healthy marriage is one\u00a0in which both partners\u00a0learn to appreciate and\u00a0respect the differences and\u00a0similarities that exist.\u00a0Growing together is a skill\u00a0that takes time<\/p>\n

Article adapted from Contact<\/em>magazine, January 1993.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By David Burgess 1. Make a Commitment. Research substantiates\u00a0the importance of commitment\u00a0in a satisfying and\u00a0healthy relationship. Commitment\u00a0will provide the\u00a0additional motivation and\u00a0purpose when one or both\u00a0partners do not “feel” like\u00a0working on the marriage. 2. Attend to Your Partner Totally. It is important to retain\u00a0your own individuality in\u00a0any relationship. However,\u00a0when you are together, and\u00a0even on occasions when\u00a0you are apart, develop the\u00a0habit of focusing your attention\u00a0and energy on your\u00a0partner. Being attentive to\u00a0the other person’s needs\u00a0and interests will help that\u00a0person feel valued and important.\u00a0They, in turn, will\u00a0usually express their appreciation\u00a0appropriately. 3. Express Love Openly. There are verbal and\u00a0nonverbal methods for\u00a0conveying expressions of\u00a0love. Study your partner.\u00a0Learn to understand their\u00a0specific ways of expressing\u00a0and receiving verbal\u00a0and nonverbal messages of\u00a0love. Do this often in your\u00a0relationship. Acts of love\u00a0are always acceptable\u00a0ways of telling someone\u00a0else how much they are\u00a0truly appreciated. 4. Listen Develop the art of listening\u00a0in your relationship. It\u00a0is a skill! Research in marital\u00a0and family therapy studies\u00a0consistently emphasizes\u00a0the value of listening\u00a0skills in fulfilling and\u00a0healthy relationships. 5. Observe Your Partner. This requires time and energy\u00a0invested in your relationship\u00a0by studying your\u00a0partner and learning about\u00a0him\/her. This means becoming\u00a0well acquainted\u00a0with likes and dislikes and\u00a0special characteristics of\u00a0your partner. 6. Feedback. Learning to express both\u00a0positive and negative messages\u00a0of feedback in a relationship\u00a0will enhance the\u00a0quality of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4621"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4622,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4621\/revisions\/4622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}