Marriage and Relationship Blog by Dr. Meredith Hansen

Your Friends and Your Marriage

June 17, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Friends are a vital part of life. Remember when you were little and you had that perfect best friend you shared all your personal stories with?

Take a minute to think about who that person is now?

Maybe it’s your partner, and that is great!, but we all need multiple outlets. We need to know that there are a good group of people in our life who stand behind us, pushing us to be better, do better, aim higher, reach our potential, and fulfill our dreams.

Watch the clip below for a quick reminder about

Filed Under: A Healthy You, Getting Married, Newlywed Tips, Strong Marriage, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: Friends, Love Tip, More Satisfied, Relationships, Strong Relationships

Marriage Planning, It’s Never Too Late

June 3, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Your marriage is THE most important relationship in your life.

Research has found that a secure marriage allows us to feel safe enough to explore the world, take positive risks in our life, and reach our goals.

No matter what stage your relationship is in, it is never too late (or too early) to talk about

Filed Under: Communication, Getting Married, Marriage Success Secrets, Newlywed Tips, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: Communication Skills, Love Tip, marriage, Strengthen Your Relationship

Marriage Musts this Memorial Day

May 27, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Holiday weekends are all about fun, family, relaxation, and maybe a little BBQ. Having an extra day off often reminds us to get together with loved ones to catch up and just let go.

As important as it is to have time with friends and family, it is also really important to take time to catch up with our partner. Neglecting our relationship during a busy weekend can leave us feeling disconnected and drained by the time Monday night rolls around. It is possible to keep the passion alive this Memorial

Filed Under: Marriage Success Secrets, Newlywed Tips, Strong Marriage, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: Love Tip, marriage, Marriage Success Secrets, memorial day weekend, More Satisfied, Strengthen Your Relationship

Your Marriage, Your Money

May 20, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Money is one of the most common topics couples argue about. From different spending habits and past debt, to deciding whether to join bank accounts or not, couples who learn to regularly discuss their finances and plan together have stronger marriages.

Watch the clip

Filed Under: Communication, Getting Married, Marriage Success Secrets, Newlywed Tips, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: Communication, marriage, Marriage Success Secrets, Strengthen Your Relationship

Wedding Planning Tips from Marriage Expert

May 13, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

The months leading up to your wedding day are a truly an exciting time. Right now you are likely filled with joy, anticipation, happiness, and overwhelm. Getting ready for one of the biggest days of your life requires a great deal of time, energy, planning, imagination, and resources. For many brides, the goal of an engagement is taking time to create the wedding of their dreams.

As perfect as your wedding day should be, I often see couples make the mistake of allowing the wedding planning to interfere with their relationship. Below are 5 tips for staying connected during your engagement.

Filed Under: Getting Married, Marriage Success Secrets, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: cope with wedding planning stress, love, marriage, wedding planning

What You Can Learn from the Royal Wedding

April 29, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Today the beautiful Catherine Middleton married her handsome Prince William. In a stunning, yet understated gown, she wed the man of her dreams in front of all the world. Billions watched as this sparkling couple vowed to “love, comfort, and honor” each other. It was a magical scene filled with tradition, hope, and romance.

As someone who truly loves weddings, I was inspired by the connection between this couple. Today they appeared genuinely excited and in tune with one another. Their day of romance, seemed to be the perfect start to a new life together.

Unfortunately, I often see couples lose track of the romance and hope they once had in their relationship. Too often life gets in the way of staying connected and passionate, and the romance starts to fizzle. Below are some great tips (inspired by Prince William and Princess Catherine) to help you infuse some ‘royal romance’ into your love life this week.

Filed Under: Communication, Getting Married, Marriage Success Secrets, Newlywed Tips, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: love, marriage, royal wedding, wedding

Small Goals Will Strengthen Your Marriage

April 13, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Couple Achieveing A Goal How often do you set and reach goals in your personal life? How often do you set goals and reach goals in your relationship?

This week’s Weekly Love Tip video focuses on the value of setting goals to strengthen your relationship.

Remember, the more you focus on the progress your relationship has made and the progress you hope to continue to make, the stronger your relationship will be and the more satisfied you’ll feel.

Filed Under: Communication, Marriage Success Secrets, Newlywed Tips, Strong Marriage, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: More Satisfied, Setting Goals, Setting Relationship Goals, Strengthen Your Relationship

Memories Help Build a Successful Marriage

April 6, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Young Couple In Love Remember when you first met your partner?

Remember when you realized you were in love?

Remember your first fight?

Memories are such an important part of a successful relationship.

They remind us of where we started and how far we’ve come. Too often couples get stuck thinking about the future, the things that are going wrong, or the things they don’t have in their relationship, and they forget to acknowledge all the good that they do have.

This week’s Quick Love Tip will help you understand how your past can help your future.

Filed Under: Communication, Marriage Success Secrets, Strong Marriage, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: Falling In Love, Good Memories, Memories, Strong Relationships

Affair Devastation: How to Start Healing

March 30, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

How to Cope With An Affair Learning that your partner has been unfaithful can be an extremely painful and confusing time.

Your world may feel like it is spinning in chaos. What you once believed to be true and trusted in, is no longer the same. Your partner betrayed you, and you are likely unsure about how you want to proceed or what you want out of your relationship.

The feelings you are having right now are normal. During this painful time it is important to remember that you don’t have to decide anything right away. It is also important to keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to get through this.

Filed Under: Infidelity, Repair Your Relationship, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: Cheating, Coping With an Affair, Dealing with Cheating, Healing Process, Unfaithful Partner

New Marriage Success Secret

March 23, 2011 By Meredith Hansen

Successful Marriage Secrets If you’re getting married, I know you want your new marriage to last. Getting married can bring so much joy and excitement to your life, but it can also bring worries.

All couples want to live happily ever after, but aren’t always sure how to get there.

The first few years of marriage will be an adjustment. As much as you enjoy life together, there will be some fine tuning to do. The more proactive you are in managing this adjustment period, the more successful your marriage will be.

This week’s Quick Love Tip highlights the importance of working on your relationship when things are going well.

Filed Under: Getting Married, Marriage Success Secrets, Newlywed Tips, Strong Marriage, Weekly Love Tip Tagged With: Marriage Success Secrets, New Marriage, Perfect Wedding Day, Working on Your Relationship