Saturday, October 10, 2015

Why Your Relationship is Lonely

Loneliness in marriage means the relationship stopped growing the day you said, "I do."

Wow... harsh, huh? I bet most everyone didn't expect me to put the brutal truth right up front. But, here is the thing... I didn't purpose the answer up front to knock the wind out of you and keep you down. I put it up there as an exercise of introspection and honesty.

The thing is, it is normal for relationships (formal, informal, labeled, legal, etc) to go through certain swings and cycles. However, a good relationship should look like this, a long trend of growth:

A less than healthy one... a bad one, looks like this... nothing but ups and down without growth:

So, what do we do? How do we live out healthy relationships like the first graph and not like the second? It's all about growth. If you grow together, you will grow closer. If you grow separately, you will grow apart. 

Think on how much time in your day you are with or apart from your significant other. This is the start. Then think on how much cognitive time you are with or apart in your interests, hobbies, career, family, and values. Are they convergent or divergent? Certainly, not every couple can converge on the stereotypical interests of their significant others. However, there are three ways to make best the situation into something even better.

First, find a new common interest. What I find that many healthy couples develop is a 3rd interest which becomes the new them. Neither person of the couple had an interest in this third option. Yet, because this has become their new normal, it becomes part of their definition of who they are and how they spend their time together. This concept of new normal is very important.

Secondly, there exists at least ONE interest of the other which is acceptable and welcome. Pursue it. And, encourage mutual reciprocation on this. I personally have found that things that didn't used to interest me but has always been interesting to my wife are now my shared passions. The best silly example of this is behind the scenes content for movies. My wife loves behind the scenes for anything and everything. And, I didn't start out that way. In fact, I hated them at first. But now, I really enjoy them!

Thirdly, consider what is more important. Is your hobby more important? Or, is your relationship? If you've known me for some time, you know that I used to be an avid surfer. There were winters in San Diego I used to surf those waves where news reporters and life guards told you to stay away for your own safety. Those were the waves I craved. Well, after a while, it seemed that surfing only really benefiting me -- a self experience. What was more important to me was my time with my wife. My safety and my quality time with her were more important than my short time in the water. So, I gave up surfing... for now. After all, someone needs to teach my son ;) But, that's another bit for later.

Some Closing Thoughts
If you are finding yourself lonely in a relationship, remember the core of the issue isn't that the love has gone dry or you're going through a phase. What has happened is that the two of you have and are continuing to grow apart. You must take intentional, action oriented steps to mutually find your way back to each other. This must be done on all levels of life's interests: Intellectual, Physical, Emotional, and even Spiritual.

Converge on these four dimension, laboring to ensure that the beloved is upheld far above your own needs, and I can guarantee you unbound success in your relationship going forward.

20 comments:

  1. Hi friend......Forget all the reasons why your relationship may not work. It only takes two committed people who really want to be together and the relationship will work.Read more-Relationship Advice Florida

    ReplyDelete
  2. These two conditions in turn produce distinct physiological effects that are sometimes visible and most often measurable in a lie detection machine such as a polygraph liedetectors.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fact is we get knocked off centre and lose touch with our natural self. But it's still there inside, beneath all the layers and masks that we put on to try and make ourselves more acceptable to the world. things to talk to girls about

    ReplyDelete
  4. This does not mean our relationships will be an exact 1-1 reflection of who we each are. Rather, our relationships become a reflection of what the two of us have agreed to learn and teach each other click here

    ReplyDelete
  5. They have the gift of taking those common sense things and convert them into words in such a way that makes you see the meaning clearly https://relationadvisor.com/

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This sort of thought is frequently a formula for a future fizzled relationship, particularly when the enthusiastic segment is missing and there is, in its place, an inclination for the judicious and feeling-less component in the basic leadership process. http://www.adultentertainmentstore.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Permitting others into this space when you don't need them there makes irregularity and frequently shows itself as exhaustion as well as passionate overpower.Indian webcam

    ReplyDelete
  9. Take time to prepare yourself - Making yourself alluring, physically and rationally, is a decent supporter of the dating and related relationships. Keep in mind the platitude - the eye would eat first before the mouth.hero instinct

    ReplyDelete
  10. At that point working through the discoveries, and finding what needs your consideration! Alongside adapting new techniques to manage them. Oligarch Escort

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bedouin ladies are all over the place, even in your nation and different countries. Free dating destinations are incredible instruments for accomplishing the Arab young ladies on the Internet simple and advantageous.http://www.seksitreffit.cam

    ReplyDelete
  12. Exfoliators act in refining your skin's forms just as empowering a brilliantly crisp appearance for your face,Song Hye Kyo Wrinkle Cream yet additionally your neck and even your lower neck area generally by empowering new skin development.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Things being what they are, in the event that someone presents themselves as being liberal and you're at a spot where you're being served espresso and pie at a café and they don't leave a tip,profil

    ReplyDelete
  14. How do we cope with the loss and heartache relationships can sometimes bring? What if we don't seem to be attracting any kind of intimate interactions at all?Relationship Advice

    ReplyDelete
  15. Tuning in to your dating accomplice would assist the relationship with flourishing. At the point when you are with your date, focus on that person. Mood killer the TV, the PC, the iPod or different gadgets except if you two are seeing them together. Face your accomplice and look straight at them while they are talking. threesome sites

    ReplyDelete
  16. There is another fact I would want to make you understand. Sometimes when people start having problem in their relationship, 룸알바 they more often than not exonerate themselves from being the cause of the relationship problem, they only see a greater percentage of the problem in the other person.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It is given that two people naturally have different ambitions and careers to pursue but in a relationship, it is best to support each other's interest or careers to avoid strain in the relationship. Spreader Bars

    ReplyDelete
  18. It also has a credit-based system where you can get 100 credits for less than $50 and when offers an affair guarantee when you spend $250. online sexting

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hej, jag tror att nästan alla casino maria https://mollies.se/maria-casino/ nu har ungefär samma spelvillkor, och det är värt att välja ett casino baserat på kundrecensioner. För mig är det viktigaste ärliga betalningar av pengar. Jag är ganska bra på poker och jag vinner ofta turneringar. Och vinsterna betalades ärligt talat ut till mig bara på platsen för detta kasino. Du kan kolla upp det mer i detalj.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Online counselling is as close as your computer, and you can do it from home. Many things could be done, and the goal is always to save the relationship. Success counseling

    ReplyDelete