Marriage Counseling Raleigh NC: Raising children is the most rewarding and challenging thing parents experience.

After becoming a parent, you often feel tired and find it hard to relax and enjoy time alone with your partner. However, strong bonds with your spouse are essential for your relationship's success. So, today, I'd like to focus on the importance of joy.

We often get so busy and overstimulated by life that we forget to take care of the most critical person in our lives – ourselves.

Most of us are aware on an intellectual level that we cannot 'pour from an empty cup.' What does this mean? It means we only have infinite energy at the beginning of the day. So, if we give all this energy to our children, work, and everyday tasks and responsibilities, we have nothing left to ourselves.

If you are exhausted of feeling alone and disconnected and hate the idea of feeling like this for another minute much less another few months, my specialized marriage retreats in North Carolina can provide the relief right here right now!

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Marriage Counseling Raleigh NC: What happens then?

We usually make our loved ones pay the price because we feel exhausted and burned out, lose it on them in small and big ways, engage in conflicts, or withdraw and shut down. Any of these behaviors can take a toll on the relationship. And how can it not be when we are not nurturing our connection?

Many couples who come for marriage counseling Raleigh NC say their relationships have changed over time. And not in a good way. At the beginning of the relationship, we are friendly, polite, and kind to each other. However, three, five, or ten years into the marriage, we stop caring about what our partner thinks – we feel like we know them, so we jump to conclusions and ignore their feelings. And that destroys the connection.

Many couples come to marriage counseling Raleigh NC after ten, fifteen, or twenty years of marriage, feeling like roommates or like they don't know the person they've been married to for all those years.

Couples Therapy Raleigh NC: How Can Joy Improve the Connection in Your Marriage?

 So, what does joy have to do with nurturing connection?

Everything!

Knowing what brings you joy and taking time to take care of yourself is very important. Your loved ones will benefit from this because you will feel more relaxed, joyful, and energized.

So, discover good things that bring joy and make you feel good about yourself, and enjoy them. This does not have to take up a lot of your time. Of course, you no longer have three or four hours to engage in hobbies or do the things you used to do before becoming a parent. However, even five or fifteen minutes of "me time" may make a significant impact.

For example, take a few moments to sit peacefully in silence and meditate. Focus on your breathing and observe thoughts that appear in your conscious mind. Observing all those garbage thoughts that don't belong there without reacting to them can liberate you and separate you from feeling overwhelmed.

When you realize that you don't have to follow the harmful, negative train of thought and that you are okay, you will activate your inner parent and feel much calmer and content.

Different things bring joy to other people. Also, different things make us happy at different points in our lives.

However, here are some simple self-care ideas that can bring you joy and help you feel like a new you:

1. Practice mindfulness meditation

2. Journal your thoughts and feelings

3. Practice positive affirmation

4. Reading an inspiring book

5. Listening to a podcast that inspires you

6. Enjoying a warm bath or shower

7. Going for a walk in nature

8. Practice gratitude

9. Go to a concert

10. Spend time with pets

11. Listen to uplifting music

12. Engage in creative activities

13. Watch an uplifting movie

14. Go to an art gallery or museum

15. Treat yourself to a favorite beverage

16. Practice deep breathing exercises

17. Ground yourself by walking barefoot on the grass

18. Volunteer or help those in need

Summary

 When you incorporate joy into your everyday life, everything becomes better. You become a better person, your relationships improve, and you feel empowered to embrace change and grow.

I hope this is helpful and that you apply it not only to your relationship with your spouse but also to your relationships with your children, friends, and other significant people in your life. If you have any questions or would like to schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation with me, click here or check out FAQs to learn more.

This is not your typical weekly kind of therapy. I am here to help couples and individuals in relationships do what is proven to work to help them heal their relationships. Through marriage counseling Raleigh NC, marriage retreat in North Carolina, online therapy North Carolina, and individual counseling, there is something for every couple who wants to heal their relationship.

Quality marriage counseling in Raleigh NC, and online couples counseling in North Carolina and Virginia

Stop wasting years of your precious life to feel happy. Schedule your free 15-minute consultation with me today by clicking here. During the call you will discover how having a place to heal your relationship with a guide can take you from the hurt to a healthier relationship than the one you grew up with.

 Hi, I'm Irina Baechle, LCSW, in Raleigh, NC. I believe in the power of healthy relationships and write on that topic. Whether you and a partner are co-creating a healthy marriage or you are single and navigating how to have healthy relationships, my content is for you. Let's make healthy, trustworthy marriages the norm instead of the exception! Topics I write about include marriage, infidelity, roommate marriages, healthy second marriages, and healing after toxic or unfaithful marriages.