Written by Jude Bijou and Narrated by Marie T. Russell
Relationships wax and wane, stretch and grow, shift and evolve. We are always changing and any relationships we have, are always changing too. Sometimes there are bumps in the road on the journey.
Giving the cold shoulder, and continually criticizing, are clear signs that issues haven’t been resolved. Unfinished business causes us to focus on what’s not working. The other person becomes the enemy rather than an ally. You can no longer see what drew you together. You stop doing the very things that once fanned your love.
Rather than risking long, draining battles, we choose to clam up and withdraw, put energy into other activities, such as work, exercise, television, and hobbies, or resort to digs, judgments, and blaming. In all these cases, intimacy dwindles and differences become obstacles to closeness.
After living together for a period of time, we can increasingly feel less open with our partner and start walling ourselves off. Slowly, slowly, we realize that we either have to give up and leave or step forward and speak about some specific things that have been bothering us...
Continue Reading this article at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article)
Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay
©2022 by Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.
All Rights Reserved.
Book by this Author:
Attitude Reconstruction
Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life
by Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.
With practical tools and real-life examples, this book can help you stop settling for sadness, anger, and fear, and infuse your life with joy, love, and peace. Jude Bijou's comprehensive blueprint will teach you to: ? cope with family members' unsolicited advice, cure indecision with your intuition, deal with fear by expressing it physically, create closeness by truly talking and listening, improve your social life, increase staff morale in just five minutes a day, handle sarcasm by visualizing it flying by, carve out more time for yourself by clarifying your priorities, ask for a raise and get it, stop fighting via two easy steps, cure kids' tantrums constructively. You can integrate Attitude Reconstruction into your daily routine, regardless of your spiritual path, cultural background, age, or education.
For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.
About the Author
Jude Bijou is a licensed marriage and family therapist (MFT), an educator in Santa Barbara, California and the author of Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life.
In 1982, Jude launched a private psychotherapy practice and started working with individuals, couples, and groups. She also began teaching communication courses through Santa Barbara City College Adult Education.
Visit her website at AttitudeReconstruction.com/