7 Ways to End the Cycle of Break Ups With Your Married Man and This Time Make it Stick

/by

7 Ways to End the Cycle of Break Ups With Your Married Man and This Time Make it Stick

Every day I talk to clients who are trying, and failing, to break up with their married man and make it stick.

They don’t want to break up with them because they don’t love them but because they just can’t take it anymore. They can’t take the broken promises, the not being made a priority, the lack of understanding about the torture that they are going through.

They have tried and tried to be patient while their married man takes “baby steps” and they have finally decided that its time to break up and move on.

The issue is is that they have tried to break up over and over and over and it has never stuck. They have stayed away for a few days, weeks or months but always get sucked back in. How, they wonder, to do things differently this time around?

Many, many of my clients have left their married man and moved on to find true happiness. In fact, I did too. Let me share how those of us made it to the other side did so, so you too can finally leave your married man and get the life you want!

#1 – Are you sure that you want to do this?

This is the first step to making a break up with your married man stick. You must be determined to really do it this time.

How many times have you broken up with your person only to suffer unthinkable pain and ultimately reunite with them? He renews his promises and you have wonderful make up sex and you start to believe again. How long after this reunion did you begin to suffer again? Hours, most likely; if you are lucky maybe 24 hours.

I always point out to my clients what a waste of time and energy a break up is if you aren’t fully committed. Putting yourself through the pain and then letting yourself down by letting him back in isn’t good for one’s mental health. Doing so over and over can be life sucking. I know that, after 1.5 years trying to break up with my married man, I was a shell of myself.

So, before you follow the next steps, ask yourself if you are truly ready to do this. If you aren’t, bookmark this article for when you are!

#2 – You must definitively inform him that its over.

For many of my clients, when they get to the end of their rope, again, they often, in a fit of anger, block their guy and swear that they will never talk to them again. In the moment, they mean it. And then the anger fades and their resolution wavers.

I always tell my clients that they need to tell their affair partner that they are done. They need to make it very clear that their affair partner respect what they are asking for, namely letting them go once and for all. The affair partner must agree to not contact them at all and to fully grasp the pain that they have been causing.

This can be done either in person or via text but it must be done – the married man MUST understand that the break up will stick this time.

Your married man doesn’t want to let you go. Yes, he might be causing your tremendous pain but it is his needs, and the needs of his wife and family, that he is putting first.

Your married man needs you. He needs you to adore him, to be there when he needs you, to have great affair sex with and to give him some (misguided) hope for the future. If he loses you, he will be left with nothing, just an unhappy marriage and memories of you. He also knows that, if he lets you go, you will most likely find someone else and live happily ever after.

So, your married man isn’t going to just let you go – it will be on you to make it happen. Start by telling him that this is what you need him to do.

#3 – You must commit to having no contact with him.

I am guessing that you and your married man started out as friends and that, in an ideal world, you would maintain that friendship. I am sorry to say, its not going to happen.

An essential element of making your break up stick this time around is to not be in contact with your married man at all. No texting. No talking. No checking out their social media. No seeking closure. No being where you know they will be. NOTHING. Even on birthdays and anniversaries and holidays and special events. NOTHING.

The reality is is that any contact with your married man will carry the risk that you will let him back in. And, any contact that you have with your married man will cancel out any progress that you have made in letting him go. Unless you aren’t in contact with him, then you won’t be able to let him go.

I am guessing that you are thinking that you could never block someone – its so rude. And I want to tell you that that is just a justification. If someone where contacting you who you didn’t like or made you uncomfortable you would block them. You just don’t want to block your married man because you want to keep the door open for him to come back someday. I can promise you, if you block your married guy and he gets his shit together, he will do whatever he needs to do to contact you – he won’t need your phone number.

I absolutely can not understate the importance that going “no contact” will have in your ability to let go of your married man once and for all. So do it, for the sake of your future.

#4 – You must have to ride out the pain, no matter how bad it is.

Without exception, my clients who go back to their married men do so because the pain of the break up is so intense that they can’t deal with it. One of my clients described it as a physical pain so intense she believed that she was going to die. No one, I pointed out, has ever died of a broken heart.

Yes, there is nothing worse than the pain of a broken heart. Nothing. But the thing about broken hearts is that they heal. Times goes by, pain lessens and hearts become whole. And then life goes on, maybe with a dull ache in the background but it goes on, most often in a wonderful way.

BUT, let me ask you. Are you in pain every day because of what is happening with your married man? Have you lost friends, have your work and your health suffered, have you lost your self-respect the long this affair goes on? I am sure that pain that you are feeling is huge – how can it not be.

If you stay with your married man, this pain will continue. As long as he keeps breaking his promises (which he will) you will daily feel pain. If, on the other hand, you can let him go, the pain will pass. You will have the chance to live a real life, not one tormented by what could be.

So, consider your pain. It might seem worse than the pain that you were feeling before the break up but is it really?

break up with your married man

#5 – Write up a list of all of the reasons you are breaking up with him.

I have a client who, when I asked her to make a list of the things about her guy that lead her to break up with him, told me that there was nothing. That he was a really great guy and that she couldn’t think of one thing wrong with him. Ok, I said, let’s dig a little big deeper.

Does your married man make you a priority? No. Does your married man abandon you at the last minute because of family obligations? Yes. Does your married man make promises over and over, only to break them? Yes. Does he care enough about your suffering to do anything about it, one way or another? No.

So, there was plenty of things that was wrong with my client’s married man; they were just things that she didn’t think of when she thought about him. Like many women in love with married men, they tuck those things in the back of mind to justify staying.

Make a list, in writing, of the reasons that you need to break up with him is a key aspect of making it stick. When you are away from your guy, you will only remember the good things. The daily pains will fade and you will be left only with the happy memories. And these memories will lead you down the path to him again. I always encourage my client to refer to the list when they feel like their sentimentality is getting the best of them, to remind them of why they had to leave and why they need to stay away.

#6 – You must fully accept he will never leave his wife. Never.

Be honest, when you do a Google search about whether your married man will leave his wife, do you find any happily ever after stories? Do you find heartwarming tales of a man leaving his wife, marrying his affair partner, seamlessly integrating her into is family and living happily ever after.

No, you don’t.

That is because this married man will never leave his wife. He might believe that he will, and hence the promises, but he won’t. Why? Because leaving his wife means not seeing his kids every day, giving away half of his money and perhaps ruining his reputation. Leaving his wife might seem simple but its the rest of the stuff that complicates matters and makes him stay.

I do believe that married men truly do believe the promises that they make to their affair partners – that they genuinely believe that they will be able to leave their wives and be with them. Unfortunately, in my 10 years as a life coach, not one of them ever has. Some of them are even told by their wives to leave and still they stay.

So, don’t kid yourself. You will never have him.

#7 – Understand that you will never get your happily ever after.

Ok, let’s say you don’t believe me that your partner will leave his wife and still you picture your ideal life together. How based in reality is that ideal? Really.

The reality is is that you have been having an affair with this man. You will never, I mean never, be accepted by his family, his children, his social circle. They might tolerate you, but they will never fully accept you. You will spend the rest of your life at odds with the people who your partner loves best. And, these odds could very well be the thing that causes him to resent you and ultimately drives you apart.

Another thing is that you don’t really know this guy. You guys have a wonderful relationship that exists in a bubble, a bubble where there is no conflict over kids or money or mothers-in-law. All you have is time together.

But who is this guy out and about in the world? I know that when my married guy (temporarily) left his wife, I called a friend, concerned that this man who I considered the love of my life was really just a boring guy from Connecticut. What a let down.

So, recognized that this image that you have in your head about happily ever after just isn’t going to happen. I am sorry but it isn’t.

It is my strongest wish that you have read this list and are inspired to let go of your married guy once and for all and more forward to get the life that you want. And I totally understand if you have read this list and just aren’t ready yet.

The reality is is that someday you will hit your limit – that you will be done with the thousand little cuts that you are living with. That you will no longer tolerate being the woman who cheats with another woman’s man. (You know – she isn’t the raging bitch that he says she is – she is a woman stuck in an unhappy woman with a man who is capable of infidelity) That you know that, for the sake of your health and sanity, you must walk away.

When you are ready to do that, this list will help you do so – it will give you the strength and the clarity that you to join the millions of other women out there who had affairs with married man and found the strength to leave them. Women who are now, like happily married me, living happily ever after.

7 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Make Your Wife Feel Special in 2025

/by

7 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Make Your Wife Feel Special in 2025

If you are like many men, one of your resolutions might be to make your wife feel special in 2025. After all, another year has passed and perhaps you are thinking that its time to jumpstart your relationship with a little extra effort.

Good for you!

Luckily, making your wife feel special isn’t as hard as you might think it might be. Really, what we women want more than anything is for our partner our partner make us loved.

So, what are the ways to make your wife feel special?

#1 – Tell her that she looks beautiful and not only when she is dressed up.

I am sure that you are thinking that your wife knows that you think that she is beautiful but there isn’t a woman in the world who doesn’t want to hear it. Unfortunately, after many years of marriage, spouses stop noticing each other in the ways that they used to and, as a result, they stop expressing their appreciation of their looks. While this might seem superficial, it is important and probably one piece of why she fell in love with you – your appreciation of her.

So, tell your wife that she looks beautiful.  You don’t need to wait until she is dressed up – any occasion will work. She might be suspicious at first if you haven’t done it for a while but be sincere and you will maker her feel a certain way.

#2 – If she has something to say, stop and listen to her.

Are you thinking that you always listen to what your wife says and that if you stop what you are doing you will she speaks will waste time because you can do two things at once? I get it but, I am afraid that I have bad news for you – men have an extremely hard time doing two things at once.

As a result, if they aren’t fully listening to what their wives are trying to tell them, it won’t sink in.

It is important that you listen to your wife about things, large and small. If she wants to talk to you about carpool, stop and listen. If she wants to talk to you about Christmas, stop and listen. If she wants to talk about how she is feeling, stop and listen.

If you stop and listen to your wife, there are two reasons that she will feel special. The first is that you will truly hear what she is saying and, therefore, she won’t have to say it again down the road. The second is that she can trust that you believe that what she is saying is important to you. If a woman knows that someone is half listening to her, she feels disrespected and less than. Knowing that you are giving her your full attention will make her feel loved and appreciated.

#3 – Surprise her with something that she likes but not something that you do.

Men often have the best of intentions when it comes to making their wives feel special. And sometimes they just fall short.

Many of my men clients tell me that they try to set up things to do with their wives but that their wives don’t appreciate what their efforts and tell them so. And, while they might appreciate the effort, the inappropriate choice of an activity often leads the wives to believe that their husbands don’t truly know who they are.

When a man plans a night out going to an action movie, a romantic movie lover will feel unseen. When a man plans a weekend away to someplace where there is golf tournament going on, a wife who doesn’t play or watch golf will feel unimportant.  When a man buys her a piece of lingerie not recognizing that she is struggling with body issues at the moment, she will be devastated.

So, if you want to do something special for your wife, make sure to plan something that she will like and not something that is all about you.

#4 – Make sure you are fully familiar with her love language.

Love languages are an idea that, if you can fully master them, will change your relationship with your wife and you will truly make her feel special.

The idea behind love languages is that we tend to do things for other people that we want done unto us, hoping to make them feel loved. Unfortunately, not everyone needs the same thing to feel loved and, therefore, the efforts backfire. If you can understand someone’s love language, you can understand what will make them feel loved.

According to Gary Chapman, there are 5 love languages:

Physical touch – being touched in a romantic and/or sexual way

Words of Affirmation – being told how someone feels

Gift Giving – receiving a gift

Acts of Service – taking action by doing a service

Quality Time – spending time together

If your wife’s love language is quality time and you take the garbage out for her on Saturday morning before you head off for a day of golf, you won’t make her feel loved. Instead, take the garbage out, sure, but then spend the rest of the morning with her and play only a half day of golf.

To learn more about love languages, follow this link. There is even a quiz that you and your wife can take so that you can know what each other’s love language.

This will make your wife feel important and loved.

#5 – Take an interest in the things that she loves – or try something new together.

For many couples who have been married a long time, they tend to focus on their own hobbies and no longer do things together. As a result, the time that they spend together isn’t necessarily time that involves things that make their hearts sing, something that doesn’t foster connection.

An excellent way to make your wife feel special is to take an interest in what she likes to do. I am not saying that you need to take up needlework or go to yoga (unless you want to do that) but do be willing to share in some of the things that she enjoys doing.

Also, an excellent way to feel connected to your spouse is by taking up an activity that neither one of you does on your own, something that you can learn together. Perhaps its going for day hikes or taking ball room dancing lessons or playing tennis or golf or learning how to sail or ski.

Something that will give you time together, time that isn’t focused on chores and kids and work. That will make your wife feel special in a big way.

 

married couple having fun

#6 – Rub her feet or her back or any body part she would like to have rubbed.

Many couples who have been married a long time have stopped touching each other. Sure, there might be weekly married people sex but, in between, physical intimacy is minimal. As a result, couples can grow disconnected, especially if there are any issues around their sex lives.

If you want to make your wife feel loved, reach out to rub her feet when you are watching TV. If she is at her computer, stop and rub her shoulders. Give her a hug from behind when she is doing the dishes. By touching your wife you are telling her that you see her, that you love her and that you want to feel connected to her.

Of course, you wife might not want to be touched or might suspect something if you start touching her after not having done so for a while. So, ask your wife before you do touch her. See if she would like a foot rub or a shoulder massage. I am guessing she will say yes, but do ask for permission first. You don’t want to set yourself back by  touching her in a way that she doesn’t want to be touched.

#7 – Make sure she knows that she is a priority for you.

When you and your wife were falling in love, did you put each other first? Did you choose to choose each other before anything else? Were you willing to get out of work early to do something special? Did you put each other’s wants and needs above the other’s?

And now that you have been married a while, where does your wife fall on your priority list? Is she even close to number one?

Perhaps you justify that if you don’t work late, your family won’t have the money it needs. Perhaps you justify that bowling with your friends instead of hanging out with her will make you happier and therefore her happier. Perhaps when your mother insists on Sunday dinners and you don’t push back when your wife doesn’t want to do every Sunday, you do it because you feel like your mother should be the priority.

Whatever it is that you choose to do over your wife is something that I want you to consider as you embark on trying to make her feel special. Of course, no one can be someone’s number one priority all of the time but, in my experience as a coach, my female clients feel like they just aren’t important to their husbands and that makes them feel unloved.

I hope that these 7 ways to make your wife feel special are helpful.

If you are feeling a little bit overwhelmed, it’s ok. Taking action to do things differently can cause anxiety and fear. But just take it one item at a time. You don’t have to do them all at once. Try one thing on your list and see how it makes your wife feel. If it works, you might find you are eager to do another. And if it doesn’t work, don’t give up! Just try another thing on your list.

You can do this! After all, you made her feel special once, enough so that she fell in love with you!

7 Reasons Why My Client Couldn’t Leave Her Married Man And How She Finally Did

/by

7 Reasons Why My Client Couldn’t Leave Her Married Man And How She Finally Did

I have been working with a client for quite a while now because she is having an affair with a married man and she can’t let him go. She has been growing increasingly frustrated and unhappy and yet the idea of breaking up with him is very scary.

One of the ways we have been processing WHY she can’t leave him is by asking her what it is that makes her stay. Interestingly, her reasons are the same as most of my clients who are having an affair and ones that always surprise people when I share them.

Let me share them with you!

#1 – She very much wants to believe his promises.

My client definitely has been wearing rose colored glasses when it comes to believing what her married man tells her and its a big reason why she hasn’t been able to leave.

My client’s married man has told her over and over and over that he is going to leave his wife and every time she believes him. In my experience, the majority of married men very much believe it when they tell their affair partner that they are going to leave their wives. That their affair partner is their priority and that it will happen.

Unfortunately, in my experience, very few married men who makes such a promise follows through. Why? Because it’s not about leaving their wife; its about leaving their children, wrecking their finances and alienating themselves from the social lives.

No man wants to give up the opportunity to see his kids every day. No man wants to give away half of his hard earned income. No man wants to alienate all the wives of their friends and end up with no one left.

Nonetheless, my client hoped that things would be different with them and wanted to believe his (very convincing) lies. Unfortunately, this meant that she just couldn’t leave him.

#2 – She believes that they are soul mates.

My client is 100% percent sure that she and her married men are soulmates.

They are connected in ways that she has never been connected before. They can talk about anything. He truly understands her. The sex is amazing. She is sure that, when the time comes, they will live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, as much as it might feel like it, they are not soulmates.

Every single person I have ever talked to who is having an affair thinks that their affair partner is their soulmate. Every one. My client is not unusual.

What happens in affairs is that the couple lives in a bubble. Nothing permeates that bubble and, as a result, there are no challenges. As a result, the couple stays connected in a way that doesn’t happen in normal relationships. There are no money issues or family issues or career issues. The bubble is where the good stuff happens. How can they not be soulmates?

My question to my client is always – how can this man be your soulmate if he breaks his promises all the time?

#3 – The idea of ever loving another man is inconceivable.

My poor client. She truly thinks that, if she leaves this man, she will never be able to find another man as wonderful as he is.

Someone who can make her laugh, who listens to her, who believes that she is perfect, who takes care of her in bed. That kind of person just doesn’t exist in the world, she believes.

The fact of the matter is the reason that loving someone else is inconceivable is because she is so attached to her married man. He is who she is living for and the idea that she might ever love someone else is something that she just can not grasp.

I repeatedly assure her that the only way that she will never love another man is if she stays in this relationship. If she can let go of him, truly, she will able to energetically open her heart to finding love.

And she will find love – but only if she can let go.

#4 – The sex is the best she has ever had.

Of course an affair is the best sex that she ever had.

How can having illicit sex with someone who says that they love you and understands you not be exciting? All sex is good that the beginning and affair sex is something that always seems like it’s in the beginning. Over and over, whatever period of time my client and her married man don’t see each other, they long for them. When they get back together, it’s like the first time.

Furthermore, my client and her affair partner have lots of drama. When things are good – they are good. When she gets upset about their situation, with him being married, things are really bad. They fight and she leaves and he begs to get her back and, every time, she does so. And the make up sex? Amazing.

For my clients who are in toxic relationship, the sex is always good as well. Why? Because of the make up sex, of course!

#5 – She believes the pain of the break is too much to handle.

For my client, she has more than once left her married man. She usually makes it a few weeks and then she takes him back. Why? Because the pain of being away from him is awful.

And I get that. Pain is horrible to take. But, I ask her, aren’t you in pain everyday when you are with him too?

The answer is always yes. Every single day that she is with him she suffers. Knowing that he is with his family or that his wife and he are on vacation or that none of his friends know of her existence and the hopelessness she feels because of all of it. The pain is intense which makes her want to break up with him again.

The thing is – if she could let go of her married man the pain would be intense, yes, but it would  pass. The more time that passes the less pain she will feel. If she stays with him, that pain will continue, never ending until the relationship does.

 

can't leave married man

#6 – She has alienated her friends.

Because she always wants to make sure that she is available to see her married man, my client has pushed away all of her friends. Any invitations from them get refused and if they are made, plans get cancelled.

If she does see her friends, she sucks up a lot of the oxygen by going on and on about her married man and how he is lying to her and how wonderful he is and how miserable she is. Friends are always sympathetic at first but her friends have gotten sick of her going on and on so they stopped calling.

The idea of letting go of her married man is scary because she is worried that she will be all alone. That her friends won’t want to hear about her pain and that she will be stuck, alone, trying to move forward with her life.

As a result, all she can do is hang onto the person who says he loves her and always will be there for her, even if he isn’t.

#7 – Her self esteem has been decimated.

When I first started talking to my client, she was a very confident woman. She had a great job, great friends, a killer apartment and she loved to take adventures. When we first started talking she had just gotten involved with her married man and she felt pretty good about it.

Now, a year down the road, my client is a shell of herself. She has lost her friends, her work has suffered, her body feels depleted and adventures are a thing of the past. She no longer believes that she is lovable and it has torn her apart.

As a result, because she believes that she is unlovable and not interesting, she believes that no man could ever be interested in her again. That all she deserves is this man and whatever time and love he can give her. The idea of putting herself out there feeling the way that she does is inconceivable so she doesn’t. She stays with good enough, hoping things will get better, even as she fades away into nothing.

So, how was my client finally able to let go of her married man? Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy but she did it!

I wish I could tell you that my client was finally able to let go of her married man because I waved my magic wand, but I can’t. My client needed to rely on one person and one person only to make the break. Herself.

There came a moment in time when she truly couldn’t take it anymore. He had missed her birthday, again, and she was devastated. She decided that she had to be done.

First, she blocked him. See knew that if she had any contact with him that he would win her back. And she knew that he would contact her because he didn’t want to lose her (selfishly!).

Second, she made a list of everything that he did that hurt her, a list that she could refer to anytime she missed him.

Third, she kept herself busy doing things that she loved.

Fourth, she took care of herself. It took her a while to sleep well but eating healthy food and taking walks made her feel stronger.

The key to succeeding here was taking it one day at a time. Her pain was intense. Her body was wracked with it and she was sure she was going to die. Even so, with me cheering her on, she focused on the fact that someday the pain would be better, that one day she wouldn’t think about him every moment of every day, that someday she would find love.

And, her faith in herself worked. Here she is, 6 months out, feeling great about herself and back out there dating. She still thinks of him but she is looking forward, not back, full of hope for the future.

7 Signs Your Guy Has Commitment Phobia

/by

Ok. Be honest. If you are reading this article you are wondering if your guy has commitment issues and you just want to know. Good for you! Better to look for the signs sooner than later so that you can move on and find the love you seek.

Of course, it’s not just guys who have commitment phobia – many women do too. But it seems that it is an issue more often with guys – which is the topic for a whole other blog.

For now, let me share with you 7 signs that your guy might be afraid of commitment so that you can decide what next steps to take.

#1 – He doesn’t want to meet your friends and family.

For men who have commitment issues, they often won’t want to meet their partner’s friends or families. And, to some extent, this is a sign of good character because once the families are involved, things change but it’s not someone who wants to be in a relationship.

When you want to introduce your guy to a friend or family member, does he make excuses? Does he disappear when a loved one visits? Does he insist that his friends are busy if you want to meet them? Does he say that he just wants to spend time alone with you – that that is more important to him?

If your guy does any of things, it’s a sign that he is a commitment phobe. He knows that, by getting to know your friends and family, he is taking the relationship to another level, something that he just doesn’t want to do because he just isn’t sure that he wants to stay.

So, pay attention to whether he wants to meet your friends and family and don’t take that he wants to only spend time with you as an excuse – it might feel good but that doesn’t mean it’s a sign of a relationship that has a future.

#2 – He doesn’t talk about the future.

When you were first together, did your guy sometimes talk about the future? What you would do together and how much fun you would have? Does he not do that so much now? When you bring up the future does he refuse to engage? Even worse, when he brings up the future, does he not mention you?

A guy who doesn’t talk about the future is a guy who doesn’t want to commit. He is a guy who is hedging his bets, enjoying the time that he has with you now but with one foot out the door.

Don’t take this as he is just taking things one day at a time – as he might be saying. He most likely isn’t all in but he wants to have fun in the meantime.

#3 – He tells you that he wants to take things slowly.

Like a guy who doesn’t want to talk about the future, a guy who says that they want to take things slowly is someone who isn’t really all in.

For a guy who wants a relationship, he works hard to be in it. He meets your family, is there when you need him, doesn’t disappear and make excuses. Someone who says that they want to take things slowly is someone who doesn’t want to commit.

Remember back when you were dating – at the end of a date did your date were tell you that he wanted to take things slowly and then never call you again? See, it’s just an excuse.

So, don’t make excuses for why your guy wants to talk things slowly. If he isn’t ready to jump in with two feet, he isn’t ready at all.

#4 – He is emotionally unavailable.

When you try to talk about emotional stuff, does your guy shut down? When you want to talk about the relationship or how you are feeling does he make excuses to get out of the conversation and refuse to reengage if you ask him to?

For men, showing their emotions can be difficult and for a guy who doesn’t want to commit, making the effort to do so just isn’t worth it. After all, why spend time doing something difficult if you don’t have to?

And, while he cares about you enough to spend time with you, and have sex with you, he doesn’t care enough to engage emotionally. And that is a huge red flag.

So, be honest with yourself. Does your guy avoid conversations that have anything to do with your relationship or your feelings? If he does, he could very well be commitment phobic.

guy has commitment phobia

guy is a commitment phobe

#5 – You are feeling insecure in the relationship.

Again, you are here, reading this article. Chances are, if you are doing so, you are feeling insecure in your relationship.

Most women know when their guy doesn’t want a committed relationship, they just hope that things will change. They hope that, if they just try hard enough, love their guy enough, get their friends to like them and take care of them, their guy will fall in love with them.

What I can promise you is that none of these things will happen. If a guy doesn’t want to commit, you going out of your way to make him love you will only push him away.

Don’t ignore this red flag. A healthy relationship is supposed to make someone feel secure and loved. If you don’t feel this way, it’s a huge sign that your guy just doesn’t want to stick around forever.

#6 – They aren’t great communicators.

On top of not being emotional available, guys who are afraid of being in a relationship are guys who are not great communicators.

They are guys who might disappear for a few days or text less than usual or spend lots of time away from you with their friends. And, the key part of this is that they don’t tell you about it. They just do their own thing and leave you wondering what is going on.

And what does this do? It tells you that they just aren’t into you because a guy who is into a woman is a guy who will communicate. He will have enough respect for her that he will tell her what he is doing and when he won’t be available.

So, don’t make excuses for your guy’s lack of communication. Don’t think that he is pulling back so that he can think about his feelings for you. Don’t tell yourself that it’s good that everyone have some independence in a relationship and that this is a healthy sign. It’s not!

#7 – He picks fights.

Guys who aren’t all in are guys that will be moody and pick fights that don’t need to be picked.

They will be impatient and condescending. They will gaslight you and make you feel like everything is your fault. They will make you feel insecure and unsure of yourself.

And, for many guys, the reason that they do this is so that you will break up with them.

One of many men’s worse traits is that they don’t want to hurt a woman by breaking up with them so they breadcrumb them, treating them badly, hoping that their woman will break up with them. When I try to explain the disparity of this argument to men, they just don’t get it. So they do it over and over.

So, does your guy pick fights? Do you feel like he isn’t the person who you fell for but a new crabby person you are tiptoeing around? If yes, it could be a sign that he is commitment phobic.

There you are – 7 signs that your guy is commitment phobic.

I want to warn you to not make excuses for your guy and his behavior. Don’t think that if you just love him enough, things will change. If your guy is displaying any or all of these signs, walk away.

Walk away and find the love that you deserve!

You can do it!

7 Symptoms of a Toxic Relationship That You Shouldn’t Ignore

/by

If you are reading this article you are probably wondering if you, or someone you love, is in a toxic relationship.

And good for you for trying to figure it out. Symptoms of a toxic relationship can be hard to spot, especially if you are in the middle of one.

Here are 7 symptoms of a toxic relationship that you shouldn’t ignore.

#1 – You don’t feel good about yourself

First and foremost, the most important symptom to look out for is whether or not you feel good about yourself.

In a healthy relationship, people feel good about themselves. They feel good about who they are in the world. They feel good about their relationship. They feel hopeful about the future.

In a toxic relationship, things are different. People often feel like they are a loser. They are sometimes depressed. They don’t feel good about their relationship. They don’t feel hopeful for the future.

This makes sense because – how can someone feel good about themselves if their relationship is an unhappy one?

Always fighting with their partner, things are always up and down, constantly living on the edge, trying to keep things stable – all of that is exhausting.

So, do you feel good about yourself? If not, it could be a sign of a toxic relationship.

#2 – You are making excuses for the relationship.

Be honest. Are you always making excuses for how things are in the relationship, both to yourself and to others.

When things go wrong, do you tell yourself that its all your fault and that if you just do things differently all will be fine. Do you tell yourself that your partner is going through some stuff and that it will be fine once they are past it? Do you tell yourself that if you just love them enough long enough, everything will be ok?

How about your friends? Are you honest with them about what is happening in the relationship? Do you tell them what is happening and then blame yourself? Do they tell you that this is a toxic relationship but you make excuses for why it’s not?

People who are in healthy relationships know that they are. They don’t have to make excuses to themselves or others about the state of their relationship. They don’t have to spend a minute worrying about whether the relationship will work out.

So, be honest with yourself. How honest are you about your relationship?

#3 – You have lots of make up sex.

Most of my clients who are in toxic relationships have a lot of sex.

They tell me that their relationship can’t be toxic if they want to have sex so much. They tell themselves that they still love their person – if they didn’t, why would they have so much sex?

I can tell you that, for many people in toxic relationships, there are lots of emotions flying around the room. And that emotion can lead to sexual intimacy. Much like break up sex, the need to do something with the negative emotions is intense and sex is a great way to let it go.

What I can tell you is that lots of sex is not a sign of a healthy relationships. And, for women especially, when we have sex with someone it draws us closer to them and make us feel like we still love our person.

So, consider what your sex life looks like? Is it a healthy one, born of feelings of connectedness or is it highly emotional sex that leaves you feeling good and then confused and, maybe, empty?

7 symptoms of a toxic relationship

7 symptoms of a toxic relationship

#4 – Your friends and family don’t like your relationship.

This is a big one. If your friends and family don’t like your relationship, pay attention to them.

When we are in a toxic relationship, we are drowning in it. It’s like we are lying in a river with water bubbling over our heads and we just can’t see or hear clearly.

But your friends and family can.

Do your friends and family point out that you always seem to be fighting? Or that you are unhappy? Or that you are being treated badly? Or that you are treating someone badly?

If your friends and family have anything negative to say about your relationship, listen to them!  They know you best and only want what is good for you!

#5 – It is affecting your life and/or work.

I have a client who reached out the other day and told me that she can’t get any work done because she is so distracted by the mess that is her relationship.

She can’t focus at work. She is too depressed to get things done around the house. The idea of going out with friends is daunting. She no longer does the things that she used to love to do.

So, for my clients, not only is she feeling bad about her relationship but she is also feeling sad and lonely and like a loser. And that isn’t helping her relationship because of how she is feeling right now about her place in the world, she believes that the toxic relationship is all that she deserves.

So, are you finding that you can’t get things done around the house? Or that you are isolating? Or that you are too depressed to put yourself out in the world.

Don’t blame yourself – you are most likely struggling in a toxic relationship – and that is what you are feeling like right now.

#6 – Nothing is changing.

This is a key symptom of a toxic relationship that is important to take note of – are the same things happening over and over and nothing is changing?

Do you have the same fight? Are the same emotions in action? Are the same unkind words being said over and over? Are you having lots of break up sex?

One of the hallmarks of a toxic relationship is that, no matter how either, or both, people try, nothing is changing. That even though they know that something needs to be done, history keeps repeating itself.

Obviously, if things don’t change, how can your relationship ever be any better? And don’t kid yourself that things will sometime go back to the way that they were in the beginning. Because they won’t!

So, take note if things are changing for the better in your relationship. If they aren’t, it might be time to make change.

#7 – You spend lots of time looking up info on toxic relationships.

So here you are – reading this article about symptoms of toxic relationships. Is this the first time that you have googled “toxic relationships” or is a consistent pattern?

If you spend hours and hours searching Instagram and TikTok, trying to learn more about toxic relationships, how to fix them, what they look like, then it is very likely that you are in a toxic relationship.

If your gut is telling you that you might be in a bad relationship, enough so that you are seeking information about it, then that is a sign that it is is toxic.

And, looking for information about toxic relationships might not lead to change – you might just get more firmly entrenched in the idea of the relationship and make excuses for it, something that won’t help you make change.

So, there you go – 7 symptoms of a toxic relationship that you need to look out for.

Relationships start out so hopeful – words of love, hopes for the future. And, when they turn toxic, it can be hard to spot. After all, no one wants to let go of what they hoped to have and to start over again.

So, ask yourself how you are feeling about yourself, both internally and in the world. Do your friends and family like your relationship? Is your sex life a healthy one? Is your on-line search history full of things that are following your gut?

If yes, perhaps its time to get out of this relationship and to find one where you can live happily ever after.

You can do it!

7 Surprising Signs of a Cheating Spouse

/by

As long as there has been marriage there has been infidelity. Not that its okay – it just is.

Traditionally, signs of cheating have been obvious. The cheater spends more time away from home. They can be difficult to reach. They aren’t always honest about how they spend their time. Perhaps a stray love letter or text gets discovered.

And, while those things can be signs of infidelity, there are signs of a cheating spouse that are harder to identify. Knowing what they are might help you glean the truth about what is happening in your marriage so that you can decide next steps for yourself!

#1 – They look different.

Take a good look at your spouse (something that perhaps you haven’t done for a while because they are, well, your spouse and you don’t notice them as much as you used to?).

Do you see anything different? Are they wearing their hair differently? Are they wearing something that you have never seen before? Are they shaving places that they haven’t groomed for years?

For many people who embark upon affairs, the things that they had neglected for years, like how they dress or how they present themselves, often get renewed attention.

For people who are cheating, they want to look good for their person. They want to feel desirable. They might even want to mold themselves into someone their person might want them to be.

So, does your spouse look even a little bit different than they usually do? If yes, there is a chance that it could be a sign that they might be cheating.

#2-  There are strange things in the garbage can.

I know, I know. Why should you go pawing through the garbage to find signs that your spouse is cheating? It seems a little bit extreme, no? Unfortunately, it is not.

People who are in affairs, much like that they groom themselves differently, might buy things that they don’t usually buy. And, often, I don’t know why, they carelessly toss detritus from those items in the trash.

What kind of items? Usually small ones, like sales tags or receipts. Sometimes its bigger – perhaps packaging. Sometimes they even discard the shop bag. In our throw away society, we don’t tend to think about trash consciously so we often just toss it aside without thinking.

So, if you are noticing some unusual items in your trash, pay attention. It could be a sign that your spouse is up to something.

#3 – They seem distracted.

Most of my clients who are having affairs tell me that they are incredibly distracted.

They find that they can’t concentrate on work. That at the family dinner table they don’t engage in conversation. They say that they forget simple things, like taking a pot off the stove. They miss appointments and are late picking up their kids from school.

Does your spouse seem unusually distracted? Do they seem distant and sometimes incommunicative? Do they forget things that they have never forgotten before?

This could be a sign that something is going on and might merit some extra attention.

#4 – Their friends are acting strange.

When someone is having an affair, the desire to keep it a secret and the need to share what is happening are in conflict. Affairs are exciting and messy and many people, in spite of their best interests, need someone to confide in.

While, ideally, a cheater would be seeking professional help to address what they are doing, more often, they seek support from a friend. And friends, unfortunately, aren’t always good at keeping a secret or at keeping a poker face.

So, how are your spouse’s friends behaving? Are any of them distant? Do any of them say strange things, things that you don’t understand? Do you find your spouse spending more time with them than usual?

Our spouse’s friends can often be their worst enemies. Pay attention to their interaction with their friends and their friends’ interactions with you. If anything has changed, it could be a sign that your spouse is cheating.

#5 – They are more emotional than usual.

Affairs bring out emotions, in more ways that one.

Of course there is excitement and passion – obviously. But there is also guilt. And shame. And confusion. All things that, when push comes to shove, can be completely overwhelming.

For a client of mine, she found that she was crying all the time. She loved her affair partner madly but she also was overwhelmed by her feelings of guilt for her spouse. She also was desperately unhappy in her marriage and that made her incredibly sad as well.

As a result, my client found that she was crying all the time. Furthermore, she found that she was impatient and quick to anger. These were emotions that she had never experienced and she was overwhelmed by them.

And her husband? He had no idea what to do with his wife’s emotions.  They had always scared him but their new intensity was overwhelming.

So, how is your partner’s emotional regulation? Do you find that they are more emotional than usual? If yes, it could be a sign that they are being unfaithful.

 

signs of a cheating spouse

signs of a cheating spouse

#6 – They want more sex.

Yes, I know that this one is counterintuitive – why would someone who is having an affair want more sex.

When someone is having an affair, particularly at the beginning, their hormones are in overdrive. Their need to touch and be touched is intense. They are constantly thinking about sex. They are pulsing with feel good hormones.  Sex is a driving force in their lives.

This happens, too, when we are in any new relationship – the attraction is part of what makes that period of time so much fun.

Ironically, the affair partner is not always available to fulfill this sexual need and, therefore, the cheater turns to their spouse to scratch their itch. Horrible, I know.

So, is your spouse more interested in sex then they have been for a while? If yes, pay attention.

#7 – Your gut tells you so.

This is that biggest sign to look out for and the one that we ignore all the time – our gut.

Our gut is the thing that keeps human beings alive. It’s the thing that signals danger so that we can get away from what threatens us. It tells us that what we are seeing isn’t necessarily the truth. It warns us when we are making a choice that isn’t right for us.

In short, our gut is our red flag spotter. And it’s something that we, more often than not, ignore.

I have a client whose husband has started buying new underwear. He is working out. He spends a lot of time walking on the beach, where there is no cell service. He is more impatient with her than usual.

For me, I see all the signs of infidelity. For her, she absolutely refuses to believe that it is possible – her gut tells her so! As a result, she is miserable and living a life that isn’t satisfying her. Ultimately, I am afraid, she will find out the truth and it will be devastating for her.

So there you are – 7 surprising signs that your spouse might be cheating.

Of courses, all of the things that I have written about are not necessarily signs of infidelity. But they are things to look out for and, if these things are found in combination, might be meaningful.

I know that they are small things but it is small things that make the difference in life. And small things that we often miss. Small things that noticing might be life changing.

If you are suspecting that your spouse might be cheating, keep an eye out for the small things. You will be glad that you did!

Finding Happiness After Divorce is Possible! Here is How.

/by

For many people, finding happiness after a divorce might seem impossible.

After all, the lives that they have lived for whatever period of time is over. The stress and sadness of the divorce process has been life sucking. The fear of moving forward can be intense.

But finding happiness after a divorce is not only possible but probable. I know. I have been there – gone from devastated by a divorce to living happily ever after.

How did this happen? Let me share.

There are 9 key elements to finding the life, and love, that you seek after a divorce.

#1 – Make sure that your divorce is settled.

For many people, myself included, they are so impatient for their life to move forward that they try to get started earlier than they should.

When my husband left me, I immediately set out to build a new life for myself – including finding love. I reached out to college boyfriend, hoping to re-kindle our love. I embraced online dating, getting into one relationship after another, all of which failed.

In retrospect, I know that I just wasn’t ready. I was in too deep with sadness around the end of my marriage and the toxicity of the divorce process. At the time, I thought I was ready but I wasn’t.

Going through a divorce is one of the most devastating things that anyone can go through. And the divorce process can take a long time. When one is in the middle of it all, it’s almost like they are submerged in a babbling brook. Like water is rushing over their head and they can’t really hear anything or see anything clearly. As a result, they can make bad choices, choices that might even sabotage finding the happiness that they deserve.

So, try to be patient and wait until the divorce is settled and signed off on before you try to make too much change, particularly around relationships.

#2 – Don’t move too fast.

Many people are desperate to find love again after a divorce. They truly believe that that is the only way they will ever be happy again. And so, they get into a new relationship quicker than they should.

What I always encourage my clients to do is, if you feel like dating is something that you must do to keep your head above water, to date away. Date away but absolutely don’t get into a new relationship.

As I said above, when going through a divorce you just don’t see or feel things clearly. As a result, you could get into another relationship that causes you heartbreak and leaves you even worse off than you were during your marriage.

I got into a relationship within months of my husband leaving. At first it was wonderful but then it fell apart – mostly because my divorce kept on interfering with our life and because I didn’t have the life skills to be in a new relationship after 20 years of marriage.

As the relationship fell apart, so did I, mentally and physically. Most notably, I woke up one day with my face half-paralyzed. I had Bell’s Palsy. The stress that I was feeling was literally all over my face. It was horrible.

So, don’t move too fast into a new relationship. It could only hold you back!

#3 – Take stock of what happened.

For many people, once they get through a divorce, don’t take the time to pause and figure out what happened in their marriage. As a result, they find that they make the same mistakes that they made in their marriage.

In what way? They choose people who resemble their ex-spouse. They interact with them in ways that sabotage a relationship instead of build it. They continue the toxic behaviors they displayed in their marriage. They continue to do what they have always done and hope that things turn out differently this time around.

It is key that you stop and take the time to figure out not only what happened in your marriage but also your role in it. You don’t want history to repeat itself. A large percent of second marriages fail. Don’t let yours be one of them!

#4 – Let go of self-sabotaging negativity.

This is one of the most important things to do after a divorce – and the most difficult.

The key to finding happiness after a divorce is to let go of any anger and animosity that you might feel towards your ex.

Holding on to anger is horrible for many reasons. It keeps you mired in the past. It carries an undercurrent of anger and hostility that can sabotage happiness. It can lead to not trusting people. Is unattractive to those it is shared with. And, it could ultimately cause physical problems. My mom held a grudge against my dad for decades – she died at 72 of pancreatic cancer.

So, work hard to not hold on to any anger that you might have against your ex. And, as you work to let go of it, don’t subject random people, especially dates, to your vitriol. It won’t get you anywhere!

#5 – Be open to taking risks.

No risk, no reward, right?

I know that for many people coming out the other side of divorce, the idea of taking risks is untenable.

Their self confidence is shot. They are emotionally drained. They aren’t feeling very hopeful for the future. All of these things make some people want to curl up on the couch, eat ice cream and indulge in lots and lots of reality TV.

And, while it is ok to do this for a while, don’t let it last for long.

For me, after my divorce, I sold my 2000 sq foot house in Vermont and got myself a little apartment on the Upper West Side in NYC. I put my stuff in storage and set off for my adventure. And I am glad I did.

While I didn’t find love in NYC (which I thought I would with the million plus guys there) I did build my business, meet new people and do exciting new things. It was the best 2.5 years of my life, to date – and now I am happily settled in Maine, having done something that I always wanted to do at that turning point in my life.

Now, I am not saying that you have to move to NYC after your divorce. I am a big risk taker so that was easy for me. But pay attention to the life choices that you make and make sure that some of them make you just a little bit nervous.

Doing so will give you the opportunity to truly feel alive again and help you find the happiness that you seek.

#6 – Do that thing you have always wanted to do.

It’s interesting – marriage can make one’s life very small. Between jobs and kids and careers and extended family, the life that we lived when were single seems like it’s gone for ever. The risks and adventures, the trips and cultural events, the branching out and meeting new people are all put to the side as life goes on.

When you get divorced, you have a chance to open up that world again.

For me, for years going to Peru had been on my bucket list but, because my life was small, I just didn’t make it happen. Once I got divorced I was determined to make it happen. And I did. At the age of 52, I hiked a 17,000 foot mountain and came down the other side to land at Machu Picchu. Not only did I widen my world but I felt damn good about myself doing it.

So, what is that thing that you have always wanted to do? Do it!

 

finding happiness after divorce

#7 – Spend time with people who love you.

When we come out the other side of a divorce often our self-confidence has been destroyed.We don’t feel good about ourselves and are perfectly. We are happy to wallow in the feelings of self-hatred.

Well, let me tell you that, just because you got divorced, you are not a bad person. You aren’t worthless. You are deserving of love. And, if you have a hard time believing me, just ask those friends and family members who love you. They will tell you.

In an effort to find happiness after divorce, it is key that you spend time with people who love you, people who will remind you of your worth to the world and all that you have to give. If you are surrounded by this kind of unconditional love, it will help you believe in yourself again and move confidently into the world.

#8- Take care of yourself.

I know – this one seems obvious but it must be included in any list of finding happiness after or a divorce.

While the instinct to stay home and indulge in your depression might be tempting, I encourage you to do that as little as possible. Make sure that you get outside and exercise. That you sleep and eat well. That you don’t spend hours stalking your ex on social media. That you do things that feed your soul.

I know the idea of getting up off the couch right now but I can promise that, if you do, you will be one step closer to finding the happiness that you seek!

#9 – Get help.

Most people who are going through and getting past a divorce have never done so before. Sure they might have been through a break up but not a divorce. As a result, they have no idea with they are doing.

I always encourage my clients to find some kind of support to get through this difficult time. Whether it’s a friend who has been through a divorce already, a therapist who can help you process your feelings or a life coach who can help you figure out next steps (or all three), getting some kind of support as you navigate the treacherous waters of life during and after a divorce is essential to any future happiness!

So there you go – 9 key elements of finding happiness after a divorce.

I know that many of these things might feel daunting right now, keep this list close so that, when you are ready, you know what you have to do.

And, I promise you – you can do it! And, if you do, you will find the life and the love that you so much want to have!

5 Pros and Cons of Dating a Married Man

/by

 

Let me say first and foremost that having an affair with a married man is a really bad idea. For so many reasons.

If you are having one, you probably know this. If you are thinking about having one, read this article carefully!

Years ago, I had an affair with a married man so the information that I share below I know first hand. I also know, from my clients, that they are true of every woman having an affair with a married man.

Without further ado, here are 5 pros and cons of dating a married man so that you can be aware of what you are getting yourself into.

Pro: You won’t have to commit.

For many women, committing to a relationship is not something that they are interested in.

Whether it’s because they have a life they don’t want to change or whether they aren’t willing to make their heart vulnerable, they are happy to have something on the side but don’t want to have to be obligated.

Con: You will be alone more than you want to be.

Of course, if we choose to not commit and to have space that is great. But, if we WANT to spend time with our person it won’t feel good that they , more often than not, will not be available.

Why? Because your married man has a family and a life. Those things will always come first.

Pro: You will feel love like you have never felt before.

When you are involved with a married man, you will be living inside a bubble, a bubble without extended family or financial worries or kids issues. As a result, your love will only feel wonderful and you will believe that the two of you are soulmates, destined to  live happily ever after.

Con: That love will be not be enough.

You live in a bubble. The time you share just isn’t a reflection of real life. Therefore, you are in love with a man you don’t really know, a man who exists for you without all the issues of real life.

I know that when I got to start spending time in the real world with my married man, I found out that he was BORING and I had to walk away.

Two red hearts with a broken one on them.

Pro: You will be promised the world.

Married men are so thankful that they have someone to love them and have sex with them and listen to their tales of woe that they are willing to do anything to keep their lover.

And they truly believe that they are strong enough to follow through and leave their wife and you will live happily ever after.

Con: They will (often unintentionally) be lying to you.

Married men truly do believe that they will do what they say that they are going to do – leave their wives. But, the reality is, I have never known a man to leave his wife and, if he does, he only does it for a short while and then he goes back home.

The reason that your married man won’t leave his wife is not because he doesn’t love you enough but because leaving his wife means leaving his family, wrecking his finances and damaging his social life, all things that he has spent years building and things that he doesn’t want to abandon.

Pro: You will believe that you have found your soul mate.

As I said before, many women who have affairs with married men believe that they have found their soulmate. The one person who truly gets them and who gives them the love that they have always sought.

Con: You haven’t

How can the person who is your soulmate hurt you over and over and over? How can they make you promises and not follow through? How can they say that you are the most important thing in the world to him and then not be there when you want or need them?

Pro: You will feel beautiful and sexy and lovable.

Sure, you will feel all of those things when you are dating a married man.

Your relationship is fresh and new and that is when women feel most loved.

Furthermore, your married man will admire the independent woman that you are, out in the world, living your life while he is stuck in an unhappy marriage.

And, of course, he believes that you are his soul mate and his life raft and he will flood you will platitudes and gifts and moments of pleasure because he wants to keep you happy enough.

Con: You will lose yourself.

I know that when I met my married guy, I was a confident single person in the world. I had just moved to NYC, I was fitter than I had ever been in my life, I was building a business and had great friends.

And, then, I met him and, for a while things were great. Until they weren’t.

The broken promises, the not being a priority, the time spent a long, the hopelessness that I felt for the future all brought me to my knees.

I was a shell of the person I was before I met him, a shadow that didn’t go away until I walked away.

So there you go, 5 pros and cons of dating a married man.

There are many more cons that I could share with you but I will leave it there. I am guessing you get the idea.

Again, I am not advocating for having an affair with a married man. As a matter of fact, I wish I could reach through this blog and warn YOU of the dangers that lie ahead if you go down this road.

But, it’s up to you to make this decision. Think long and hard before you do – you will be happy you did!

7 Ways Super Effective Ways to Deal with Anxiety after a Break Up

/by

 

There is truly nothing worse than a break up.

Whether you did the breaking up or were broken up with, it’s the end of an era.

Having to let go of hopes and dreams about the relationship can be devastating and having any hope for the future can be impossible.

And I get it. I have been there.

That being said, this break up is just a period of time that you have to go through. The pain will end. You just need to figure out how to ride it out in the meantime.

To help you do so, I have compiled 7 effective ways to deal with anxiety after a break up so that you can get through this period of time and move on.

#1 – Be careful with social media.

For many of my clients, when they are going through a break up, they spend an incredible amount of time on social media trying to process what happened.

They go on TikTok or Instagram or whatever and find whatever information that they can to either understand why they were broken up with or to help them justify doing the breaking up.

And there is a TON of information out there to suit their needs. Unfortunately, there is so much information that it is very easy to go down a rabbit hole and never come back up.

I always encourage my clients to take one week and do this. To dig into whatever it is they need to dig into. And then, after 7 days, to stop.

Why? Because by focusing on what happened, on the past, they won’t be able to manage the anxiety that they feel after a break up. They will spend so much time focusing on it, processing it, talking about it with strangers, comparing themselves to some nebulous person in a far away place who might be totally different from them, that they have no opportunity or motivation to move forward.

After a week, it’s time to go down another rabbit hole – how to move forward after your break up and build the life that you want. There is a ton of inspirational information out there to support you. And that is the kind of support you want – positive support.

So, be care about your social media use. You will be glad you did!

#2 – No contact and no stalking.

This is SO important. Maybe even more important than anything else. You must have no contact with your ex and you must absolutely not stalk them in any way.

I know that the inclination to have “one more talk†with your ex (or accept their request for one more talk) for closure or whatever is powerful but interacting with your ex is only going to cause you more pain and anxiety. Closure is just an excuse to be together one more time and hope that things end differently.

Also, the temptation to look for your ex online, to see what they are doing and if they are happy and if they have moved on is one you must resist at all costs! You do not need to see how your ex is. They are your ex and that is that. I know that whenever I google old exes I regret it!

And remember, no one posts their bad stuff on social media so all you will see is your ex enjoying their life and that just won’t make you feel good.

Ideally, you would block your ex on your phone and on social media because that will prevent there being any opportunities to reach out. Many people really struggle to do this, however, and, more often than not, fall back into old patterns. All I can say is know that not having contact with them is the key to healing!

#3 – Consider past break ups.

I am guessing that you had break ups in the past, yes?

And was the pain that you felt after the break up intense? Yes?

Maybe you are thinking to yourself that that pain wasn’t anywhere near as painful as your current pain but I can promise you it was – you just don’t remember. Our bodies don’t let us hold on to pain – it would be hard to live fully if you remembered all the pain that you felt in the past.

Anyway, after past break ups you were probably in a lot of pain and YOU GOT OVER IT! That is the thing to remember. That you have suffered before and gotten through it and you will get through this break up as well.

And remember, there is always someone on the other side of a break up. I know that you might not believe it now but there is!

#4 – Spend time with people who love you.

For many people who are struggling with anxiety after a break up, they feel bad about themselves and they isolate with Netflix and ice cream. And, while this is okay to do for a while, it is important that you shut it down sooner than later.

Spending time with people who love you is exactly what you need right now. People who remind you how wonderful you are. People who make you laugh. People who have helped you ride out the hard times before.

You know who those people are – reach out to them.

A group of young people standing next to each other.

#5 – Set a goal for yourself.

I remember when I went through a particularly bad break up (with, silly me, a married man), after I cried for a while I picked myself up and decided that I needed to live my life. That I couldn’t let him stop me from doing what I wanted to do.

So I set my eye on doing two things – building my coaching business and hiking to 17,000 feet mountain in Peru. It took some time and some effort but I did both. And, in the process, not only did I distract myself from the pain that I was feeling because I was so busy, I also rewired my brain to think differently than I did when I was in the relationship.

Also, once I accomplished those goals I felt so damn good about myself! I knew that I wouldn’t have done those things had I stayed in the toxic relationship. I knew that I could accomplish anything if I put my mind to it, even if I was alone. (Which I wasn’t, for long)

#6 – Don’t play the victim.

For so many people, after a break up, play the victim.

They believe that they did nothing wrong and that their ex was a toxic person and the cause of everything that went down. And your ex might have been a toxic person but they weren’t the cause of everything that went wrong.

There are two people in every relationship and two people responsible for it breaking down.

Yes, perhaps your partner treated you badly but did you let him do so for longer than you should have? Were you too scared to speak up for yourself and allow the abuse to continue? Did you ignore huge red flags, hoping that everything would turn out?

No judgement here – we all do that. But the key is to remember that you bear some responsibility for the break up. Taking ownership of your part and being determined to do things differently next time will help you manage your anxiety after your break up in a big way.

#7 – Take care of yourself.

This is one of the most obvious, and perhaps the hardest, things to do after a break up – to take care of yourself!

I know that Netflix and ice cream is very attractive but if you aren’t eating well or getting off the couch or getting enough (or too much) sleep,  your anxiety will stay through the roof.

Do spend a week or so, if you need to, mourning the end of the relationship but then get up off the couch and get outside. Take a walk. Go for a bike ride. Eat some healthy food. Get enough sleep. Whatever the magic pill is for you to help you feel better while you are getting through this difficult time!

I know that it feels like managing your anxiety after a break up is next to impossible.

Anxiety is hard to manage and when it’s paired with a broken heart it’s even harder.

But it is possible to manage your anxiety with a little effort and awareness and you can do it!

And remember, this period of pain will pass. It might not go away completely for a while. But everyday that you don’t have contact with your ex is a day that you will be closer to healing. The way you are feeling now is not the way you will feel forever!

I promise!

 

7 Ways to Rekindle Love with Your Wife

/by

 

Marriage is long and hard and it’s easy for married couples to lose their way. To start taking each other for granted and to, sometimes, fall out of love.

But there are ways to rekindle love with your wife, if you are willing to make the time and the effort to do it. And it’s not that hard to do…you have done it before, when you were falling IN love.

What I would encourage you first and foremost to do is to talk to your wife about how you feel and what you want to do. That you are feeling some space in your marriage and that you are interested in finding each other again. It is important that both spouses are on board. If she just isn’t interested, don’t waste your time.

I did have a male client who worked for months to rekindle his marriage, only to have her ask for a divorce in the end. She was just going through the paces, not really invested in the outcome of his efforts.

So, after you have checked in with your spouse and agreed to move forward, here are 7 ways to rekindle your love with your wife.

#1 – Do things that you used to do together.

Remember when you and your wife first met, the things that you used to do together, the things that you did together that led to your falling in love?

Do you still do any of those things? I am guessing probably not. And if you do still do them, you probably don’t do them very often.

The past can be a powerful thing. Think about how you feel when you hear a song from your youth or smell something that reminds you of something in your past. Can’t you “feel†those things. Don’t they take you back to a moment in time that you can feel in your body, even if just for a moment?

So you can do with your wife, to help reignite your love.

I have a client who told me that, when he and his wife dated before their marriage, they did two things every weekend. They went for a long hike and took themselves out for margaritas afterwards. Getting up early in the morning and being on the trail before everyone else made them feel so close and earning those margaritas together made them feel like they were a team.

Since they have gotten married, those weekends together have disappeared. To be fair, weekends can be consumed with kids’ activities or work or commitments to extended family. But, also to be fair, some of their weekends were free. And yet, they didn’t take advantage of those free weekends to spend any time together.

I would encourage you to make the time to do the things that you and your wife used to do together. Get a babysitter for the kids. Plan ahead and have it on your calendar so that nothing else gets in they. Whatever it takes for you to spend time together doing the things that you used to love to do.

#2 – Do new things together.

On the flip side, I always encourage men who are looking to rekindle love with their wives is to do new things together.

We all tend to get into ruts, to do the same things over and over and over, especially when we have been married for a long time. And that kind of stagnation can kill the love in a marriage.

So, what are things that you and your wife can do together that is new? It can be as simple as going for a walk together every night or something a little more complicated like learning how to dance. Anything that will involve the two of you, side by side, learning something new that shakes up your life just a little bit.

#3 – Touch each other.

Be honest. How often do you and your wife touch each other? Other than maybe the occasionally married people sex, do you have the same kind of physicality that you used to have before you were married.

While I know that having more sex would be lovely, I would encourage to you to invest in a simpler form of physical touch – hugs and hand holding. Why? Because human beings communicate better with actions than words. Words can sometime come out wrong – a hug is always a hug. Something that makes you feel good.

They say that a 10 second hug every day can bring a couple together. And holding hands while driving in the car or taking a walk will connect you in a way that almost nothing else can.

So, take the time to touch your wife. It might feel weird to do at first if it’s something that you haven’t done for a while but you will grow to enjoy it very much. I promise.

rekindle love in your marriage

#4- Learn each other’s love language.

For many people, when they try to make their partner feel loved, they give their partner what they would need to feel loved. And then they don’t understand why it doesn’t work. The reason it doesn’t work is because what one person needs to feel loved might not work for another person. So, their efforts are in vain.

This is where the love languages come in. In theory, there are 5 love languages: physical touch, words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time and gift giving. If you can speak to your partner in their love language, they will feel loved.

When I was married, we didn’t know about the love languages. If we had, we would have known that my love language was quality time and his physical touch and we would have stopped giving each other acts of service!

So, learn each other’s love languages. It’s easy to do. Just go on to this website and take the quiz. Do it together!

#5- Use your words.

I hear the same thing over and over, from men and from women. “He/she doesn’t need me to tell them I love them. They know.†And, I tell them, over and over, that it isn’t necessarily true!

People need to hear that they are loved. That someone thinks that they are beautiful. That someone is proud of something that has been accomplished. It’s just human nature – affirmations can make us feel love and connected and nurtured.

So many couples, while they might have been good at this in the beginning, stop telling their partner how they feel about them as time goes on. As a result, neither one of them feels loved and connected and their feelings for each other fade.

This can be easily stopped if you both just start speaking up about what you see and how you feel.

I don’t mean to love bomb your partner. That won’t feel authentic. But when she walks in the room, tell her how great she looks. I promise you, the effects will be immediate.

#6 – Regular Check Ins.

I remember the summer that my husband and I decided to have a drink together every night after work. It was something that we had stopped doing once our kids took over our lives.

The pattern was that he would come home form work and I would be in the middle of dinner and homework and I would put him right to work. We would do everything that we needed to do for the rest of the night, falling into bed, exhausted, barely having acknowledged each other.

And this only disconnected us.

So, make an effort to check in at least weekly with your partner, even more if possible. Learn about what is going on in each other’s lives. How each other is feeling. What to can to support each other. Rebuild your connection so that you feel close to each other in a way you haven’t done for a while.

#7 – Talk about the future.

Talking about the future is something that couples do regularly when they are first together. Those heady days of falling in love and visualizing what the future could hold.

Unfortunately, talking about dreams for the future often gets put on hold during the chaos of married life. And, if there are dreams being considered, they are often just for oneself and not for a couple.

Talking about the future is a verbalization that you see each other together going forward. A confirmation that you know that your hopes and dreams for the future, no matter how distant, are aligned. This is an essential part of feeling connected.

My ex-husband and I used to talk about the future often. We were nervous about it because our marriage was struggling but still we talked about it. When he stopped wanting to talk about the future, I knew that it was a sign that our marriage was over.

So, keep looking ahead with your wife. It will make you excited about things to come!

I hope that you now see that it is possible to rekindle love with your wife.

I know that some of the things that I have listed might seem a little bit intimidating and of course they do – most or even all of them are things that you are out of practice doing. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t start up again.

You can do it!

 

Connect with Mitzi

© Copyright 2024 – Let Your Dreams Begin