How Busy People Bolster Their Bonds with Their Partners

You have a demanding career that requires a lot of your time and energy. So does your spouse. Maybe one of you—or both—travels for work. Maybe you’re also parents, and you also like to golf, practice yoga, take painting classes or play soccer, which you do separately. It’s cliché, but true: Many days you’re two ships passing in the night. But that doesn’t mean that your relationship has to suffer. You can find ways to reconnect and even strengthen your bond. Here’s how other individuals, who too live busy lives, do just that. They have date nights and days. “I believe that the best way to stay connected in your marriage is through consistent and intentional action, and you should never underestimate the power of planned spontaneity,” said Anna Osborn, LMFT, a psychotherapist who owns a group private practice in Sacramento. She has a recurring monthly reminder in her calendar to have date nights with her husband. As parents to 6-year-old boy/girl twins, she and her husband, the branch manager of a security company, have their hands full. Date nights also are crucial for Julie de Azevedo Hanks, LCSW, and her husband. Hanks owns a therapy practice with two locations in Utah. Her husband is a CFO for a real estate company, and has a volunteer job at their church, which takes about 10 hours each week. Together they have four children, ages 11 to 27, three of whom live at home and take music lessons and play sports. “We go out one or both of the weekend nights...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: General Happiness Marriage and Divorce Mental Health and Wellness Parenting Relationships Self-Help Stress Source Type: blogs