Let me ask you a question, have you ever cheated, or been cheated on?
I think most of us have encountered at least one, if not both sides of the infidelity experience. I know I have - and itâs the sort of thing you canât fully imagine until itâs happened to you right?
Even if youâve been both the perpetrator and the victim, it can still be very challenging to keep things in perspective.
When someone you really trusted in the past violates that trust, it can be very painful and difficult to get over. And if it happens repeatedly, it can severely distort the way you see the world.
As Einstein said the most important question we can ask ourselves in life is: âIs this a friendly universe?â
What he basically meant was, âare you optimistic about life?â
The reason itâs such an important question is because we will react to life the way we believe it to be.
Very often people who have been scarred by trust violations come to all new relationships from a place of doubt.
Add to that some good old con...
Letâs face it modern life can be so frenetic if you let it! Is it making you anxious just thinking about all the things you have to do?
Iâm not surprised, itâs just so easy to find yourself on autopilot, over-scheduling your life and seriously damaging your health and important relationships in the process.
To find out why we do it, and some great tips on how to stop doing it, watch the video or read on. Spoiler alert, the 80/20 rule is one of the solutions.
When I was younger I used to be proud of how busy I was because I equated it with success. As I got older I realized any fool can stay busy and theyâll ALWAYS end up paying a price for it.
I laugh now at how I wore my busy-ness like a badge of honour, it even allowed me to feel self-righteous. But pride always comes before a fall right? Not only did my own relationship suffer, but over the years Iâve witnessed thousands of women pay the price in their lives too.
Before we look at the antidote for chronic busy-ness, letâs have a l...
In my last Vlog I talked about how the fundamental building blocks of every long-term goal are actually habits.
Habits are behaviours repeated over and over, either together or consecutively, with other small behaviours, which when maintained for long enough will result in a goal being successful.
It may sound odd to reduce something as complex and emotional as having a great relationship to something as clinical and simplistic as habit formation, but actually thatâs how I made my relationship work and you can do it too.
So what are the top 3 habits that todayâs woman can develop to improve her relationship?
The first and most important habit is to create the habit of Awareness, both self-awareness and relational awareness.
Awareness is our ability to see and understand our emotions, moods and drives and relational self-awareness is our ability to see how these effect those we interact with.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman in his best-selling book âEmotional Intelligenceâ, suggests self-awaren...
As a sex therapist lots of people come to see me about improving things and 8 out of 10 times thereâs something that needs to be fixed in their relationship, because itâs hard to have good sex if thereâs resentment or anxiety present. But after thatâs been sorted out, itâs really more about developing the habit to have regular, enjoyable, mindful sex.
Regardless of what new habits youâre trying to make stick, today Iâve got some cutting edge ideas on how to do that, including some ideas about willpower that might even surprise you.
Would you agree that there are very few things quite as disheartening as failing at the same goal over and over again? Whether itâs increasing intimacy, eating healthier, or just finding more balance in general.
Goals are usually made up of smaller steps that need to keep happening in order for the larger goal to be a success. A small step that needs to happen consistently is called a habit.
New habits are âthings that you doâ but after a while theyâll become ...
I hope youâre having a wonderful holiday and have managed to include some delicious festive fare, some time to bond with loved ones, as well as some quiet time by yourself to recharge your batteries and get ready to get the most out of 2020.
Not only is this the start of a new year but itâs also the start of a new decade, giving you even more impetus to start off on the right foot. The New Year is traditionally the time we resolve to stop doing those things that cause problems and pain, and to develop those good habits that youâve probably been recognizing for a while would make life smoother, more productive and more fulfilling.
Sadly though 92% of us will fail to sustain them. To find out why, and what to do instead to make this your best year yet, read on.
While about half of us will make New Yearâs Resolutions this year, less than 25% of them will reach the 30 day mark, and only 8% will succeed. Talk about setting yourself up for failure!
I donât want you to be a loser in 2020, in f...
Let me ask you a question, do you find yourself either getting annoyed more and more often, or that the level of the anger is starting to concern you?
Do you remember being much more tolerant than you are now?
Iâve been there myself, and itâs so hard not to feel worse about yourself after each tirade, whether itâs just going on inside your head, or especially when others have witnessed it, but itâs really important that you understand youâre not turning into a horrible person or losing the plot.
There will be some really good reasons why this is happening and itâs important to uncover and understand them.
Iâm Nikki Green, a sexual/marital therapist, affairs expert and the co-founder of The Academy of Lasting Love and today Iâm going to share my strategy on how to deal with anger when it starts to run the show.
Dealing with something emotional by getting angry could just be a method of dealing with things thatâs been imprinted on you by people who were significant in your life, or it may jus...
Taking an informal poll among all the Gals Iâve seen in the last few weeks, most of them report how they go through the motions every year during the Holiday Season and every year they end up overwhelmed, resentful or just plain exhausted.
If youâre in the same boat, Iâd like to suggest some holiday hacks that will help you stop over-functioning, start enjoying yourself and creating precious memories instead.
How does the Holiday Season make you feel? Or, a more important question might be, how do you WANT it to make you feel?
Are you in high spirits, full of excited anticipation? Maybe youâre âshouldâingâ on yourself for not being more enthusiastic? Or it could be that itâs just a difficult time of year for you?
If youâre in the camp where you can anticipate some challenges then this vlogâs for you!
Whether itâs Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza, even the biggest celebrators donât escape feeling blue (however fleetingly) at some point over the holidays.
Itâs a time that so easily triggers ou...
Today I want to have a look at why being authentic is the key to having a satisfied life.
When a person is living authentically, whatâs going on on the outside is a reflection of whatâs going on on the inside.
Itâs that sweet spot, where how youâre showing up in life is a true reflection of your values, beliefs and actions.
Reaching that can really take some time and effort and itâs not for the faint-hearted, but when you look at most of the times youâve suffered in your life, itâs usually because you havenât been authentic.
Hi, Iâm Nikki Green, a sexual/marital therapist, affairs expert and the co-founder of The Academy of Lasting Love.
So here are some examples of how not being authentic can cause problems.
Maybe you over committed at work and youâre stressed. Your family arenât seeing much of you and you regret saying yes to the boss, again. You werenât being authentic with him, and acting out of your desire to have more balance in your life, before you burn out.
Or you might have had a ...
5 fundamental relationship tenets are clarified to help you get a better take on whatâs really important in how you show up.Â
Often couples look back fondly to the beginning of their relationship. The period when they both felt inseparable, caught up in the romance, and created many fun memories together.
For many, that period doesnât last- life gets in the way, job promotions and children eat into date nights and Sunday morning hang-outs. Also, our culture doesnât give us good role models for how to sustain and fortify our emotional connection. When partners focus their attention outside the relationship, the bonds holding couples together weaken.
Why not make your entire relationship enjoyable and fulfilling Instead of just the âhoneymoonâ phase? You can do that with these simple tips.
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1) There is no âIâ in team
A successful relationship relies on teamwork between two people who are committed to making it work by sacrificing their own self-interests (at times). Often, if wiv...
It can be so painful being with someone who seems to have a wall up, and just wonât let you in.
Often thereâs one partner in a relationship who tends to propel it forward emotionally, and this is usually the person who contacts me when things get difficult.
Sometimes they tell me the painful story of being with someone they just canât seem to reach emotionally.
Larry is one such client of mine and I listen as he describes a deep, deep loneliness and a longing to connect with his wife, whom he loves so greatly that it makes him ache at the very core of his being.
My heart goes out to Larry, heâs in a role I know well, having played it in so many of my own relationships.
After bearing witness to his pain, I turn to Darlene, to get her take on the whole thing. She flashes a gorgeous smile, rolls her eyes dramatically and says to Larry âOh come on Darling itâs really not that bad!â She turns to me and says âYou know, Larry is just so emotionally needyâ. Larry sighs deeply, his whole b...