The slow and uncertain route to a happy marriage looks like this: Do the things a good wife or a good husband should do. Make sure your spouse knows what you expect him or her to do. Schedule time to talk about your distress when you’re unhappy. If things get tense, make sure you protect your assets and your feelings, just in case there’s a divorce. Always check whether your friend or...
Well-meaning friends often say, about whatever complaint we have toward a husband or wife, “You deserve better.”
Is it true?
Is the confirmation helpful?
If you did not deserve it, what might you do to rediscover happiness and closeness with your husband or wife in spite of your disagreement about what he or she ought to do?
Today is Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day. The IRS estimates that between a fifth and a quarter of those eligible for it fail to claim it. This year, with many couples struggling in ways they have not in the past, the Administration for Children and Families has made an effort to get the word out. From their press release: Are you eligible to claim EITC for 2011 taxes? Must have earned...
The model for flourishing as a person includes five elements, according to the Father of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman: Positive emotions Engagement Relationships Meaning and purpose Accomplishments The last part of PERMA is Accomplishments. The road to accomplishment is what researcher Angela Duckworth calls Grit. Psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson, author of Succeed, offers some...
Continuing with Martin Seligman’s take on positive psychology, we come to the fourth element in PERMA, meaning and purpose. This is defined as being part of something bigger than oneself, something that will outlast you, something that affects more than just you. It is nice to share this with your spouse, but it is not necessary. You can pursue your own connections to something meaningful...
