It is natural for a relationship to face tension and challenges. From time to time, we may find that cultivating our relationships become a secondary priority to the daily demands of life, leading to inadvertent emotional distance.
Implementing healthy practices into your relationship begins to build a resilient partnership to withstand difficult circumstances.
As a marriage and family therapist with over twenty-five years of experience in my own practice, as well as numerous years of personal experience, join me in this article series for five practical ways to build resilience in your relationship.
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Love languages provide a way for you and your partner to reflect and discuss your own desires and needs with each other.
In the early 90s, a marriage counselor named Dr. Gary Chapman developed a framework of five love languages of how people share and receive emotional love and connection.
Chapman’s five love languages are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving/giving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.
The ways in which the love languages are expressed and desired are highly individualized, existing on a spectrum. Love languages may be connected to the ways in which your families of origin conveyed love and affection.
While all five of the love languages allow people to feel and demonstrate love, most people have two primary love languages: one for reciprocating love, and one for receiving love.
Understanding each other’s love languages generates positive growth in your relationship and increases satisfaction.