Premarital Counseling: Before You Say "I Do"

Congratulations, you are engaged! Now what? There are many decisions to be made after becoming engaged including choosing the venue, wedding dress, guest list, budget and more. However, during the process we often do not consider the transitions that we will experience as we go from dating to being married. Many people do not know there is premarital counseling or the benefits it provides. Take a moment to reflect on your relationship and future expectations. You may also want to take a moment to reflect if there are any areas in which conflict could arise after marriage.

Why is premarital counseling important?

Sometimes we believe that after marriage our partner will change and the differences we have will disappear. Unfortunately, that is often not the case and it is called denial. Through my clients I have been able to witness couples who are many years into their marriage and later come into therapy still having conflict over topics that could have been resolved during premarital counseling. Premarital counseling is helpful in triple checking to see if your partner is the right one for you. It provides you the space to navigate the difficult but important conversations in which your partner and you are struggling to align and agree upon. Premarital counseling can help you understand each other’s worldviews and how you can come to an agreement and be on the same page on different topics such as finances, children, careers, or religion. It can also strengthen communication skills before marriage and provide tools to use when addressing issues in the future. The reality of marriage is having to talk about even the hardest topics and working towards finding a middle ground in which both individuals can thrive. Therefore, premarital counseling can be helpful in having less surprises in the future.

What to expect in premarital counseling

It is recommended to do premarital counseling for at least 8 weeks, however, it depends on the couple’s needs. Some couples even decide to do premarital counseling before becoming engaged in order to give each other time to focus and explore issues without the stress of planning a wedding at the same time. It is normal to not know what to discuss in premarital counseling on your first visit, but the therapist will help guide you through the process. Some couples come prepared with goals and issues they want to focus on such as how to interact or navigate issues with family. Other couples want to use premarital counseling as preventative care and make sure they have discussed all important issues before the wedding. Couples can also use premarital counseling as a way to take a break from wedding planning and have time for themselves as a couple. Any of these reasons are a valid reason to come to premarital counseling.

As mentioned, you can expect to discuss topics about religion, culture, sex, interacting with family and friends, parenting, holidays and finances. Not having clear expectations about topics like these can lead to conflict within your marriage. Other important areas to explore are your personalities and how they impact the relationship. Do we both feel safe and confident in having difficult conversations and tolerating differences? How do we both react to conflict? Am I able to trust my partner? The reality of marriage is that you will face disagreements and will have to talk about those issues in order to reach common ground. It is important to know how to navigate and resolve issues within your marriage.

As you decide if premarital counseling is something for you, try to ask yourself these questions as you prepare to walk down the aisle to your special someone!

● What conflicts have you had and how did you resolve them? Did they get pushed under the rug or did they get resolved? What went well and how can you continue to improve? What are we not talking about?

● Do you want children and/or how many? How do you plan to raise and educate your children? What values do you want to instill in them? Is spirituality or faith important to you? Will you want your children to be raised in your spiritual traditions or faith?

● Are you compatible with views on money? What do you both think of debt? Do you plan to have separate or joint accounts?

● What are your boundaries with relationships outside of marriage such as with coworkers or friends?

● What are your expectations on intimacy and sex? How do you want your spouse to express affection and love to you?

If you feel more curious about premarital therapy and have further questions you can schedule a free consultation or email me at lilian@reconnectingrelationships.com.

Lilian’s Bio

Debunking Myths About Affairs: Understanding the Realities of Infidelity

When it comes to relationships, few topics evoke as much fear and fascination as affairs. Somewhere between the flood of emotions and assumptions, myths often cloud our understanding of this complex issue. As a couple’s therapist, I’ve found numerous instances where understanding and debunking these myths have been crucial in guiding couples towards healing and reconciliation. Let’s talk about some common misconceptions about affairs and the truths behind them.

Myth #1: Affairs are solely motivated by dissatisfaction in the primary relationship.

Reality: While dissatisfaction can contribute to infidelity, affairs are often multilayered. According to research from the Gottman Institute, factors such as individual vulnerabilities, opportunities, and external stressors also play significant roles. Understanding these factors is crucial for addressing the underlying issues that motivated the affair and explore what areas need to be addressed in order to rebuild trust.

Myth #2: People who have affairs are unfaithful or immoral.

Reality: Human behavior is rarely black and white. Many individuals who engage in affairs are not naturally unfaithful but may find themselves in situations where boundaries became blurred. Research from the Gottman Institute suggests that nurturing open communication and strengthening emotional connections within relationships can decrease the risk of infidelity.

Myth #3: Affairs inevitably lead to the end of a relationship.

Reality: While affairs can strain relationships, they don’t always spell doom. In a study from Divorce Mediation Project, 80% of divorced men and women cited growing apart and a loss of closeness to their partner as the reason for divorce. With dedication, couples can overcome infidelity and build a stronger relationship. Since affairs can be such a painful experience, having professional help is essential in creating a safe space for both partner’s to explore their feelings, vulnerabilities, and needs without judgment.

Myth #4: Only unhappy or dysfunctional couples experience affairs.

Reality: Infidelity can occur in seemingly happy relationships too. Human emotions are complicated, so even individuals who seem happy can give in to temptation under certain circumstances. Recognizing the potential for vulnerability in any relationship and prioritizing preventive measures can help protect relationships.

Myth #5: Once a cheater, always a cheater.

Reality: While patterns of behavior can be difficult to break, individuals are capable of change. Key steps for someone who has betrayed their partner is their introspection, accountability, and willingness to address underlying issues to break destructive cycles.

By debunking these myths, my hope is that you will consider the complexities surrounding affairs. For those who have been cheated on, it’s crucial that your pain be acknowledged and validated, you need that to even consider to trust again. If you have cheated, don’t let that decision define you but use it as a springboard to the relationship you deserve.

I’m grateful to have witnessed the courage of my clients to address their affairs and commit in rebuilding their relationship on a foundation of honesty, trust, and mutual respect. At our practice, we strive to support individuals and couples dealing with infidelity. We remember to approach the topic with sensitivity, recognizing the profound impact it has on the lives of those involved. Through empathy and education, we can debunk myths, reduce stigma, and foster healing in the realm of couples therapy.

If you are interested in addressing complications stemming from infidelity in your relationship, you can schedule an appointment or free consultation with one of our couples therapists.

Emotional Attunement

What is emotional attunement?

Emotional attunement is the ability to know your partner on a deep emotional level, and a vital ingredient for successful relationships. It is being able to hear, see, feel, interpret, and respond to your partner, using both verbal and non-verbal communication.

Emotional attunement is often most noticeable when absent in relationships. It hurts when you take a risk to be vulnerable with your partner and are not met at the place of intimacy you had hoped for. This often leaves couples feeling misunderstood and disconnected. Genuine efforts to be recognized by your partner can start to feel hopeless. Eventually, you may even learn to stop expecting empathy and support from your partner altogether.

The lack of emotional attunement is felt profoundly when couples argue. One person wants an issue or feeling to be acknowledged, while the other person feels blamed, often ensuing in defensiveness. At this point, you both fall out of sync with each other and miss the necessary cues to remain connected during times of conflict—pushing you and your partner even further apart from each other.

How emotional attunement can help your relationship

Emotional attunement allows you to better understand your partner through body language and by assessing what is happening around them. Being able to tune into each other in this way lets you know how and when to engage with your partner. Practicing attunement supports you and your partner’s ability to anticipate each other’s needs, promoting a sense of trust, intimacy, and safety.

These skills are the foundation for which effective communication, conflict management, and intimate connection all grow. Without this foundation, many learned communication skills will fall short of success. Being emotionally attuned in your relationship fosters understanding and feelings of being known by your partner.

Practicing emotional attunement

Understand yourself. Before you can attune to others, you must first attune to yourself. This means reflecting on your own thoughts, feelings, and emotional needs. What are your triggers, and why are they triggering? How do your past experiences influence your expectations, hopes, and fears for the future? What do these things look like in terms of your relationship with your partner? Gaining insight through self-reflection not only allows you to understand your own needs, but also helps you communicate your needs to your partner.

Get curious. Attuned couples are intimately familiar with one another’s worlds—the important things about your life and the experiences that have shaped you today. Couples who are emotionally attuned make space in their minds for their relationship and remember the major events in each other’s histories. Emotionally attuned couples know each other’s aspirations in life, fears, and dreams.

Update your knowledge. Attuned couples also continue to update their information about each other as their partner’s feelings and thoughts change over time. Many people think they know everything there is to know about their partner, especially if you have been with your partner for quite some time. Early relationships are filled with novelty, curiosity, and excitement to better know the person sitting in front of you. Over time, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking your partner has nothing new to share—that the novelty is gone. This assumption is only true if people never change! Yet, people are continuously changing through experience, reflection, and interactions. Even the person you think you know so well is still somewhat a mystery.

Try answering some of these questions about your partner and see how well you know your partner’s internal world.

• Name one of your partner’s current hobbies.

• What is your partner currently most stressed about?

• What is your partner’s biggest fear?

• How does your partner like to be comforted and soothed?

• What is your partner’s ideal job?

• Who was your partner’s childhood best friend?

• What turns your partner on sexually?

• What was your partner’s worst childhood experience?

Going over these questions together can help you both develop more details for each other’s internal worlds. However, getting to know each other intimately is an ongoing process. Your knowledge about your partner should be updated regularly by spending time together catching up on what has been happening in each other’s day-to-day.

Couples who share detailed understandings of each other are often better prepared to navigate stress and conflict. When you and your partner are aware of each other’s feelings, thoughts, and motivations, you are both less likely to be thrown off by the changes of life. The more you know about each other, the stronger your connection will feel, which better prepares your relationship to handle future challenges.

If you are interested in exploring emotional attunement in your relationship further, you can schedule a free consultation with me through the link below or via email at amy@reconnectingrelationships.com

Schedule with Amy

Amy’s Bio

Finding the Healing Part in Psychotherapy

One of the things I have been interested in since I joined this field is working with people who are struggling with medical complications. A medical complication can be sudden, diagnosed in a routine checkup with your physician. Some of the common diagnoses in such routine checkups are diabetes, thyroid issues, hypertension, respiratory disease, heart disease, and high cholesterol. Don’t feel frightened if you didn’t see your medical condition listed. There is a place for all in therapy! One question I get a lot when I tell someone I specialize working with individuals with medical complications is, “How do you cure a medical issue with psychotherapy?” I do not advertise psychotherapy being a cure for medical issues. I do, however, look at how we can verbalize the anxiety and stress that comes with these complications. For example, did you know it is common for people with diabetes to suffer from nightmares if untreated? This is one area psychotherapy can help. I help the individual look at the underlying emotional state of bearing health issues.

Medical complications can take a toll in many areas of your life. One important area is your mental health. If your mental health has declined, then other areas take a toll as well: job performance, family conflicts, sleep patterns, alcohol consumption, and much more. In therapy, together with the client, we look closely at what areas of your life are being harmed. We look at creative ways you can manage whatever is happening biologically. Internally we carry these different kinds of emotions that happen so fast we don’t realize their influence on the body. If we can look at these internal drives then perhaps we can manage symptoms of hypertension, weight issues, high blood sugar, or even diet and medication management. For instance, it is hard to regulate sugar intake when a person is in a repeated pattern of alcohol use or sleep issues. We crave more sugar under these circumstances.

It is common to feel vulnerable when addressing these issues in therapy. It is uncomfortable for most because verbalizing this in therapy comes with a kind of fear of not being in control. No one wants to feel they are not in control. You will find support in therapy in managing stress, anxiety, and other emotional issues related to health conditions. If this resonates with you, do not feel shame for asking for help.

Understanding Grief with Continuing Bonds

The death of a loved one is something we all eventually endure, and it will likely be one of the most difficult experiences of life. If you’ve lost a meaningful person in your lifetime, you’ve probably noticed the language used to talk about grief and mourning is focused on “saying goodbye,” or “moving on.” Conversations surrounding grief, bereavement, and mourning often speak to the Stages of Grief, the types of grief, and endless grief recovery resources. Although this information may be helpful to some, it doesn’t always recognize grief and mourning as an ongoing process in our lives. To clarify, I don’t say this to mean the pain we feel does not change over time. In fact, in my own experience, the pain felt after loss ebbs and flows with me through my many transitions. 

Experiencing Grief Through Continuing Bonds
Continuing bonds (CB) is a grief concept that embraces a continued relationship with the deceased in an adapted way. CB acknowledges the ongoing process of grief throughout life and establishes clarity in the many ways we experience grief. 

[Note: Continuing a relationship with deceased loved ones may not feel right for everyone, and that is also perfectly fine! There are also some cases where continuing bonds with the deceased does not move towards healing. Troublesome relationships before death may continue to be difficult following death.]

CB proposes our relationships with our deceased loved ones are not fixed, instead, they frequently develop and age with us through our many seasons of life. We will likely relate to our deceased loved ones differently in our 30s, 40s, and 50s. 

If you have experienced the death of a loved one, you have probably already engaged in at least some ways of continuing bonds! Many grieving people will perform private rituals, have conversations with the deceased, or hold onto personal items of their loved ones. These are just some of the ways we continue bonds with our loved ones. 

Unfortunately, many of these behaviors have been deemed pathological, suggesting something must be wrong with the grieving person. Because of this, grieving people may doubt their behaviors, or the grieving behaviors of others, and question if they are “normal.” Many grieving people may even further disconnect from support due to fear of judgment, or the thought that they are “failing” at grieving. If this feels familiar, you may be happy to hear these behaviors are not only common, but they also seem to promote a person’s ability to cope with loss and adjust to significant changes in life. 

Continuing Bonds for the Future
The idea of CB may not be universally valued among our society’s attitudes towards grief. It may not even be accepted in our own beliefs about death and grief. Yet, there is hope! Sharing the ideas of CB with others gives us opportunity to alter our interactions and understandings towards not only grief, but perhaps death and dying as well. 

Through my own encounter with grief, continuing bonds with deceased loved ones has allowed me to process my emotions surrounding death and better support others in my life who are grieving. The ideas of CB have made it possible for me to share the spirit of my deceased loved ones with the meaningful people of my life today. 

If you are someone who wants to remain bonded to your loved ones after death but maybe learned you shouldn’t, or that wanting to do so means you have failed at recovering from grief, my hope is that the knowledge of CB empowers you to continue creating rich connections with deceased loved ones that grow with you through time. 

For more information about Continuing Bonds and other grief-related topics, check out the following links:

https://whatsyourgrief.com/grief-concept-care-continuing-bonds/

https://whatsyourgrief.com/

Two Sides to Couples Conflict

As a therapist, I am aware of the many coping strategies, communication tools, and de-escalation tactics that I have at my disposal to help me through times of conflict with my partner.  However, I haven’t always known how to deal with relationship problems.  And even with all my training and my years of practicing these tools, I can easily fall prey to unconstructive old habits. 

During a particular disagreement with my husband, I knew very well just what to say to really annoy him.  Most of the time, I acknowledge and am aware of what hurtful, punch-to-the gut thing I can say to really get to him.  But I also understand I will probably not get the response I want so I refrain from saying that annoying thing. 

However, this time I plowed through and said “F” it I’m going for it!  My feelings got the best of me. 

Being the sweet husband he is, I watched as he took in a deep breath and instead of one-upping me, he responded with acknowledgment of my hurt.  After further discussing our issue, I confessed to him that I was fully aware of my intent to hurt him back. I apologized.

How did I get away with this bad behavior?  John Gottman, couples researcher and clinician, proposes a 5:1 ratio is key in maintaining homeostasis in a relationship.  For every one negative interaction, we need five positive interactions to keep us feeling balanced in a relationship.  More often than not, we need to be good to each other.  This allowed me to have my moment, not a fabulous moment, but nonetheless, a human one.    

The other thing I did was acknowledge my behavior and apologize shortly after I was able to cool down.  Making repairs is so important!  And even though I was the hurt partner, I still played a role in how our conflict would emerge and come to a resolution.  He made his repair and so did I. 

You can protect your relationship by making sure you’re engaging with your partner in positive ways most of the time. We can never get away from conflict altogether, but we can make decisions to be more cognizant in the ways we contribute to conflict and being proactive to maintain a trusting and loving relationship.

Self Harm Among Teens and Young Adults

Non-suicidal self-injury or self-harm has been around for a long time. “Cutting” was a term commonly used before. This term is no longer used as self-harm and is not just about cutting yourself. The topic is incorporated into books, tv shows, movies and songs (I’m sure). A search on Google or social media can bring up a variety of information on this topic. There is information out there on how to engage in a variety of methods, support for individuals and families, dangers of the behavior and treatment options. This post is going to define non-suicidal self-injury, common misconceptions, and treatment options.

According to the International Society for the Study of Self Injury (ISSS), non-suicidal self-injury (aka self-injury) is the “deliberate destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially sanctioned.”  Socially sanctioned refers to piercing or tattoos.

Examples of self- harm include:  intentional carving of words or symbols, cutting the skin, burning, friction burning, hitting or biting self, pulling out hair, headbanging, multiple tattoos or piercings, embedding objects into the skin, or breaking bones.

Working with individuals who engage in self-harm and having to inform parents or caregivers about self-harm has confirmed some common misconceptions about self-harm. From my own practice and research, here are some of the most common misconceptions:

• Only adolescent females engage in NSSI. FALSE: Females and males engage in self-harm. Methods may vary. While it is often considered an “adolescent issue,” it can start in childhood or adulthood. While it may start in adolescence, it does continue into adulthood.

• Only people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder engage in self-harm. FALSE: People who have a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder may self-harm. Many individuals who do not meet criteria for this diagnosis also engage in self-harm.

• A person has been abused. FALSE: Just like the personality disorder myth, individuals who self-harm may or may not have been abused.

• There’s no help available. FALSE: There is help available. Books, trainings, support groups for individuals and caregivers and individual therapy. There are trainings for individuals, families and professionals.

• It is a failed suicide attempt. FALSE: This is a common misconception. Many of the clients I have worked with have no intention to commit suicide. Medical attention may be needed if in cases of NSSI. 

• A person is seeking attention. FALSE: I have heard this from caregivers/parents when they learn their adolescent is engaging in self harm behaviors. The way I talk to parents about it is the adolescent is crying out for help. Treatment is about replacing this unhealthy coping skill with a healthy coping skill.

• A person could stop if they wanted to. FALSE: As with any behavior associated with mental health, treatment is recommended for many individuals who self-harm.

Help is available. Individual or group therapy is recommended. Family therapy is also recommended. Involving parents or caregivers in treatment is recommended.

Involving caregivers in treatment is key. Parents may feel shocked, confused, sad, isolated or guilty. Parents may experience secondary stress as NSSI is often not visible, can be chronic and, as mentioned above, parents may feel isolated as they fear how others will react. Just like with any mental health issue, educating parents and families about NSSI is key. Having parents involved in treatment is important too especially around communication. Finding support for parents helps too.

Here are some resources:

• Healing Self- Injury – J. Whitlock, Ph.D. & Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, Ph.D.

• Self-Injury Recovery & Resources: Great resources for individuals, caregivers, and therapist

  Melissa K. Zawisza, LCSW-S owns Reilly Counseling PLLC. She opened her practice in August 2020 and serves teens and adults. Her specialty areas include anxiety, self-harm, grief, and trauma. At this time, all services are conducted online. Prior to private practice, Melissa worked in a variety of settings including schools, and agencies and spent thirteen years at a hospital-based clinic. Melissa is also a board-approved supervisor.

Mediation for Single Parents

There are 13.6 million single parents raising 21 million children in the U.S. The 2010 census reported that 40.7% of new births in the U.S. were to unmarried women. Mediation can be a valuable tool for unmarried parents to establish effective co-parentings agreements. Issues that remain unsettled add to the disharmony, strife, and resentment of these parents and set a tone that leads the children toward emotional damage. What are some of the co-parenting pitfalls that can overcome in mediation?

1. When is each parent going to have possession of the child?

2. Who is responsible for transporting the child between parents’ homes?

3. What outside care-takers are acceptable to both parents? Who’s to pay?

4. Who is to provide health, dental, and vision insurance for the child?

5. How about the co-pays, deductibles and non-covered items?

6. Will there be a parent designated as primary custodian (parent A)?

7. How about child support? Who pays and how much?

8. Should alcohol and recreational drugs be prohibited during possession of the child?

9. What limitations can be agreed to regarding exposing the child to new romantic interests?

10. Who is to decide and who is to pay for summer camps and other extracurricular activities?

All of these obstacles and more can be addressed and resolved in a written settlement agreement negotiated with the help of an experienced family mediator.

Jerrell “Jerry” Cosby is one of the most experienced mediators in in the field. He is Owner and Divorce Mediator at Texas Mediation Group in Fort Worth, Texas. Jerry began mediating family related cases in 1999. He has mediated hundreds of divorce cases. In 2020 he was named “Tops in Tarrant” by the readers of Society Life Magazine.

9500 Ray White Rd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76244
817-300-6666
Jerry@TexasMediationGroup.com
www.texasmediationgroup.com

The Meaning of Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day has evolved over the years for me.  What it meant in the beginning has changed over the course of being married to my husband twenty-two plus years and raising two daughters together.  In the early years, there were nice, romantic candlelit dinners, sometimes just the two of us and sometimes double dates with friends.  These were the years when we could be carefree and spontaneous. 

Then kids happened! 

One particular Valentine’s Day comes to mind as I reflect over the number of dates I’ve shared with my husband. My mother-in-law had to cancel last minute due to coming down with a cold and so she was unable to watch our two sweet little angels while we went out for dinner.  I was so sad to have to cancel our plans.  I was a stay-at-home mom at the time so I craved social outings and adult conversations.  My husband sensed this was important to me and encouraged us to keep our plans.  Let’s just bring the kids with us!  Great idea!  They were about 2 and 5.  Have you tried going out to a nice restaurant with young kids?  Well, we had not. 

So, the evening went pretty much how you could presume with two young kids.  We were seated at a lovely, white-linen adorned table in the middle of the restaurant.  Just the perfect spot for everyone to take in our children’s glorious tantrums.  Our girls lasted maybe 10 minutes before they made the place their own playground.  Our attempts to wrangle them back into their seats only escalated the situation from total excitement to total meltdown.   

Needless to say, we rushed through our meals, feeling stressed and embarrassed, and exited as quickly as we could.  The night felt like a complete failure. 

Of course it wasn’t a failure but simply a learning experience. I learned something about that night.  I realized I had the expectation that Valentine’s Day was to be celebrated the same way it had always been celebrated. And when it didn’t work out, I was met with disappointment.  I had to adjust to my life as it was changing and accept that for the time being the way I knew to spend this day was going to be different.  And so we learned to be more creative in celebrating any special holiday. 

What this holiday means to me now extends from the typical spotlight on my partner. Our Valentine’s Day celebrations have become more family oriented over the years and most often include our daughters.  And thank goodness their table manners have improved! Valentine’s Day does not have to be about fancy dinners and spending it solely with your partner.  It can include other activities with people you find to be valuable in your life - your best friend, a sibling, parent, or your kids . The real meaning of Valentines should be about acknowledging and appreciating all the special people in your life.  

Happy Valentine’s to y’all! 

Different Ways to Experience Love on Valentine's Day

Some of you may be thrilled when Valentine’s Day comes around and some of you dread it! This year we want to expand on the idea that love on Valentines day is more than just for lovers. With this post you'll have ideas on how to experience meaningful and authentic love with those important in your life! 

1. Long-time lovers! When you've been with someone for a long period of time, it's natural to fall into the same routine on Valentine's Day. Dinner. Card. Flowers. That's nice and all, but try challenging yourself to be creative and think outside of the box. Date your partner like you did in the early years when you were trying to experience new things together! Show them you can be just as romantic now as you were back then! Plan a picnic, share a bubble bath, or make a homemade gift. The gesture of receiving a homemade gift can be a memory making experience that both partners can benefit from.

2. Siblings. Not the people we usually think of when trying to express love during Valentine’s Day. Which is why we chose to include it on this list. It’s so easy to take your siblings for granted, as most siblings can be so different. Instead of focusing on the differences, build off from your similarities or moments of laughter you both can share. Create new traditions or inside jokes with each other that express love.

3. Coworkers. Let’s face it, we tend to spend a lot of our time at work with co-workers. This love can be centered on your appreciation or gratitude for their contribution to your work environment. You can express your gratitude for them by baking some homemade treats or small note of gratitude for their help in making your days at work easier.

4. Parent/child. One of the most influential relationships we can have is with our parents. Parents can use their influence by teaching their children ways to express love. If you're a parent, then you know that the best way to teach will be through your example. From Valentine’s candy, treats ,flowers, a special dinner together, or words of appreciation, experience different ways to express love! If you're the child in this meaningful relationship, set aside time to connect and strengthen your connection with your parents. Express aspects you appreciate about them or remind them about the lessons you've gained from receiving their love.

5. The In-laws! If it wasn't for you're in-laws, your significant other wouldn't be here. In-laws are an extension of your spouse and have played a huge role in helping your partner develop into the person you have come to love. In-laws can be a wonderful resource to your marriage. Nurture this relationship much so like the one with your own parents. Spend time together. Stay connected. Express your love to them too. If you have a hard time connecting with your in-laws, then take a moment to brag about your spouse to them- what parent doesn’t love hearing the positive qualities in their son or daughter!

6. Friends! If you don’t have a romantic partner to spend the day with, grab a friend (or a few!) This one has become a popular one around Valentines day. “Galentines” has become one of my favorite traditions around this holiday. Our favorite idea with friends would be to treat yourself to a night out, you may find that time together with friends will be more rewarding than spending it alone or putting pressure on yourself for not "having a relationship."

This post was inspired by the direct translation of ~ “Dia Del Amor y La Amistad” which means Day of Love and Friendship. How beautiful it would be if we could all use this day to celebrate the love we have in our lives and cherish our relationship. We hope that this new meaning to Valentine’s Day, if you don’t already have it, will encourage you to express the love and gratitude you have for those special in your life.