relationships

How much time do you dedicate to your marriage? Are you taking good care of it?

With busy schedules and work and family responsibilities, it becomes common for couples to focus their time on things other than the marriage. Many different factors will often effect how we end up prioritizing our time, and it’s easy for a once-stable relationship to experience rockiness when it gets put on the back burner.

People are surprised when their marriages collapse and die from starvation, but what they don’t consider is the fact that starving a marriage takes a long time– it does not happen overnight. Though it seems like a no-brainer, it’s easy to make excuses for why there just isn’t enough time to feed the marriage on a regular basis.

Today’s guest is Dr. Don Azevedo, a clinical psychologist with 3-C Family Services in Cary, NC. After helping couples and families for years, Don has seen it all– including too many marriages being starved. He’s here to discuss the importance of feeding and taking care of your marriage on a daily basis, as well as developing relationship growth goals that can take your marriage to a whole new level.

To find out more about Don and his practice, you can visit their website or call (919) 677-0101 to schedule an appointment.

It’s that time of year again… What are your New Year’s Resolutions? What about your relationship resolutions?

At the start of a new year, many people try to set goals for themselves, their relationships, and their families. With the highest of hopes, they plan for the best and most positive possible outcomes. The problem, however, is that some people sometimes set their expectations a little too high and then become frustrated and overwhelmed when they don’t accomplish everything exactly as they had planned. And then some things, like relationship resolutions, are given up on altogether.

The reality is that couples and families can sometimes be overcome with all of the little things life has in store- work, kids, taking care of other family members, and other pesky responsibilities. In many cases, couples don’t cherish and nurture their relationship and end up taking it for granted. They don’t realize it’s an entity that needs cultivating and developing just like anything else.

Today, our guest, Dr. Susan Orenstein of Orenstein Solutions in Cary, NC will be discussing how couples can use the New Year as a way to motivate themselves to set goals as a team. As a licensed psychologist and the director of Orenstein Solutions, Susan says it’s the perfect time for couples to take stock of their relationships, clarify their goals as a pair, and come up with a good action plan for 2013.

To find out more about Susan and her practice, visit her website or call (919) 428-2766 to schedule an appointment.

Check out Susan’s Pairs Workshops here, and be sure to find out more about the PAIRS App for your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

Take a second to stop and think… Are you maintaining mindfulness today?

You might ask, well what does that mean exactly? The idea of mindfulness is to be present to ourselves physically, emotionally, spiritually and literally in the moment. Being mindful involves focusing on your breathing and thoughts rather than projecting yourself into the future with worries and anxiety. Even though it’s natural to look to the future and worry about what might happen or what could happen, it’s not the best tactic for your mind. Doing so can often lead you to forget about, or concentrate less on the current moment. The moment you’re living in.

When life is plagued with disconnection and stress, things can get tough. Oftentimes the first things to suffer are relationships and family ties… which is why mindfulness can be so important. If couples and families learn to develop these critical skills, their communication, expression and intimacy abilities can flourish. Instead of thinking and worrying about the next fight in your relationship or the next big trip or next month’s bills, take a second to stop, breath, and focus on mindfulness.

Our guest today, Dr. Roz Heiko of Pediatric & Family Psychology P.A. in Cary, NC, is here to discuss some of her healing and coaching techniques. In helping people get back to a positive place in their lives and relationships, Roz encourages and teaches a level of discipline and mindful awareness.

To find out more about Roz and her practice, visit her website or call (919) 858-9692 to schedule an appointment.