December 06, 2007
Marriage and the holidays...

Stress goes hand-in-hand with the joy of the hoidays. When we are stressed we are apt to lose the magic of how unless we pay attention to the triggers of our stress and take time to lower the levels of adrenaline in our bodies. Remember to breathe, slow down, get alone time and rest. Know the signs of stress in your partner and reach out to bring what you see into your partner's awarness.




November 2004

There’s magic when you look at marriage as a long and ever-changing journey, an adventure in which you fully embrace all aspects of your love, the challenging as well as the blissful. This new perspective in how you define your marriage can be a transforming idea.

There’s much in the news today about the viability of marriage. High divorce rates, young people waiting longer to get married, or deciding not to marry at all, gays and lesbians pushing for the right to marry, are just a few of the issues that some say are bringing a crisis to the “institution of marriage.” Certainly, you’ve heard it stated this way many times before: “the institution of marriage is in trouble.” The way the words “marriage” and “institution” have been combined, we at CoupleWorks believe, has led society to have an unconscious association, and an unintended impression about marriage. Perhaps, what has crept into our culture’s feelings about marriage is the image of cold, hard structures, and old, static systems where the institution-bound flounder in boredom or misery.

At CoupleWorks we believe the language we use is crucial to how we feel about the world. We suggest that the word "institution" never again be attached to the word "marriage."Instead, we propose that marriage is seen for what it is at its best: a wonderfully long and ever-changing journey, an adventure in which couples fully embrace all aspects of their love, the challenging as well as the blissful, and are transformed by the experience.

Try this exercise to highlight what we mean: Think of your marriage, or marriage-to-be, as an institution. What do you think about? What do you feel? Then think of marriage as a wonderfully long adventure, a journey of growth and development. What do you think about, and what do you feel? Compare the two experiences.

Previous months:
The Magic of Gentle Entry
Marriage as a long and ever-changing journey...