Your relationships with your spouse, partner, children, family, friends, and colleagues are so critical to your happiness and success in life. Learn healthy communication and conflict resolution strategies and how to best nurture your relationships to help them thrive.
Struggling to communicate to your significant other how important they are to you?
You know words aren’t enough.
You’ve met enough people who say one thing and act in a way that says the opposite.
Words are easy.
But you’re about to learn 13 ways in which actions speak louder than words in a relationship.
Ultimately, it’s your behavior that reveals who you are and what’s important to you.
And that can work to your benefit.
You think about him all the time.
And the more you get to know him, the more you miss him when he’s not there.
Still, you’re asking yourself, “Do I really love him, or am I just lonely?” What are the signs you love him and are in love with him?
Put aside for the moment whether he feels the same.
This post is about helping you get clear on what you want — and whether that involves him.
So, how do you know one way or the other?
You'd almost prefer to be punched in the gut.
At least you'd know what you were dealing with.
At least you wouldn't constantly wonder, “Is it me” when dealing with a toxic relationship.
At least you wouldn't feel like a low-life piece of shit every time you experience toxic behavior.
Who are these people that enter our lives like snake charmers, only to inflict their venomous behaviors when we start to care about them?
I was talking with a friend this week who was telling me about some encounters with a relative.
My friend is one of the kindest, most loving, self-aware people on the planet. But the member of her family treats her atrociously.
Of course, it is extremely painful for my friend.
She has spent a lifetime trying to win her mother's love and approval, but her efforts are consistently met with coldness and disapproval.
I have another friend whose father had a borderline mental illness. He was sane enough that he appeared “normal” — but he really had the emotional maturity of a teenager.
He was manipulative, self-absorbed, and often inappropriate. My friend could barely stand to be in his presence.
My own father (now deceased) could be a very difficult person. He had very poor relational skills, resorted to passive-aggressive behaviors, and couldn't communicate his feelings well.
Sometimes he resorted to anger and stomping around the house in a grown-up version of a toddler tantrum.
Why is it so much easier to connect with some people than others?
When it comes to dating, it’s a rare and beautiful thing to come across someone new and instantly feel a connection.
But after that initial connection, it is important to understand your partner's personality type in order to get involved in a deep and meaningful relationship with that person.
For example, if you are an extrovert, there are a few things that you need to know about dating an introvert.
I'm an introvert myself, and believe me, having an understanding of this personality type can definitely help you out in the long run.
Introversion is a personality trait that describes people who tend to pay more attention to their internal thoughts and feelings than any external stimuli.
While introverts and extroverts are often portrayed as being extreme opposites, the truth is that everyone is on a spectrum, and most people are not on the extreme of one trait or the other.
Introversion is not the same as shyness, contrary to common assumption. It is more about one's focus on internal thoughts.
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist whose work has also been influential in anthropology, archaeology, religion, literature, and philosophy.
Jung introduced the concept of archetypes which he believed to be tendencies that people are born with that influence their behavior.
According to Jung, an introvert is comfortable with their inner thoughts and feelings, so they view the world in terms of how these thoughts and feelings impact them.
Extroverts feel more comfortable with the world of stimuli, objects, and other people, and are therefore more concerned with their effect on the world.
While introverts may prefer to alone time because this is how they recharge, extroverts get their energy from being around other people.
Jung noted that while few people are completely extroverted or introverted, everyone connects to one attitude a little bit more than the other.