Relationship challenges can come from all kinds of places. You may have to deal with the challenge of feeling your partner has let you down in some way. Or the challenge of resolving a big difference of opinion. Or more practical challenges – like making sure you spend enough time together or learning to budget…
“They fuck you up, your mum and dad / They may not mean to, but they do / They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you.” So begins Philip Larkin’s famous poem, This be the Verse. Larkin’s representation of familial inheritance here is clearly overly pessimistic and…
Valentine’s Day and all the expectations that come with it can make you feel like you should be having all kinds of passionate and adventurous sex with your partner. But the reality is it can be pretty difficult to keep things fizzing, especially if you both have busy lives. Instead of worrying about reaching some…
How are you doing with your New Year resolutions? Are they working out well for you, or have the January blues been sapping your energy levels? Maybe one of your resolutions was to sort out those niggling problems in your relationships or to do more to bring you and your partner closer. I’ve been thinking about these kinds…
Our sex lives can be wonderfully reassuring when they go well, but we all have times when we don’t feel so close to our partner and sex isn’t working the way we’d like it to. That’s why Relate has published The Relate Guide to Sex and Intimacy with Vermillion. The book aims aims to help…
1. Talk constructively How you say things is as important as what you’re saying. If you and your partner are having a disagreement, don’t just attack them or go all-out criticizing. Why not try using ‘I’ statements? By saying ‘I feel’ rather than ‘You always…’ you’re taking responsibility for your emotions and your partner won’t…
Relate’s new survey The Way We Are Now 2015 reveals that 50% of us rarely or never argue. It certainly seems like encouraging news. But is conflict really something we should avoid? Or is it just part of a healthy and communicative relationship? The answer really depends on the kinds of arguments…
Many relationships go through phases where one or both partners goes off sex. Sometimes this is a gradual process that almost goes unnoticed for a long time or it may arise from specific issues, perhaps an affair, which makes being sexual feel impossible. Sometimes worries about the pressure to be sexual can lead partners to…
Talking about money with your partner can be really tricky. People often have very different attitudes when it comes to finances. You might be very careful with your cash while your partner may be a bit of a spendthrift. And then there are all the decisions to be made about setting up joint accounts. It’s…
Moving in with your partner can be a great way of expressing your commitment to one another, but it comes with its own set of challenges too. Some people suddenly find themselves feeling a little suffocated by all the time they’re spending with their other half. Some get frustrated about things like finances or…
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