Hope +Wellness Blog

little snippets of advice for everyday challenges many people share

6 Little Ways to Improve Your Romantic Relationship
Relationships Hope+Wellness Relationships Hope+Wellness

6 Little Ways to Improve Your Romantic Relationship

Improving any relationship may seem like a daunting task, especially a romantic relationship. After all, it’s hard for people to change! It seems like making any sort of meaningful change would take a long time and a lot of effort. Big changes and shifts often do take time and patience, but there are lots of little ways to improve your romantic relationships that can add up over time.

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How to Gently Set Boundaries With Your Family
Relationships Hope+Wellness Relationships Hope+Wellness

How to Gently Set Boundaries With Your Family

The heightened emotions of getting together with loved ones after so long apart can also raise expectations to an impossible level, which can be intimidating or like you’re set up to fail. If you’re finding yourself worried about how you’ll cope during the holidays with your loved ones, setting some boundaries beforehand may help things go a lot smoother.

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How to Tell if You’re in a Codependent Relationship
Relationships Hope+Wellness Relationships Hope+Wellness

How to Tell if You’re in a Codependent Relationship

Healthy relationships are mutual. Both parties can depend on one another equally and offer each other love and support. Codependent relationships, on the other hand, are one-sided. One partner gives more love and support than the other, who often gives little or nothing in return. Someone who is in a codependent relationship might feel that they have to do whatever it takes to please their partner, even if it means sacrificing their own needs.

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 What Forgiveness Is and Isn’t
Relationships Hope+Wellness Relationships Hope+Wellness

What Forgiveness Is and Isn’t

When you’re upset, it’s tempting to ruminate on the negative feelings like anger, betrayal, confusion, and sadness. Some people find that the process of forgiveness can help relieve those negative feelings and allow you to focus on more positive things.

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5 Reasons You Might Consider Ending a Friendship
Relationships Hope+Wellness Relationships Hope+Wellness

5 Reasons You Might Consider Ending a Friendship

Whatever way works for you and your situation, know that it is okay to feel a bunch of conflicting feelings about ending a friendship. You might feel relieved to not have to deal with them anymore. You might feel sad remembering the good times you had together. You might be angry at the way they treated you. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s okay.

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6 Journaling Prompts to Help You Examine Your Relationships
Relationships, Self-Reflection Hope+Wellness Relationships, Self-Reflection Hope+Wellness

6 Journaling Prompts to Help You Examine Your Relationships

It is a strange and scary time right now.

With the spread of COVID-19 many of us are worried for our own health, worried for the health of loved ones, and we’re all facing a huge shift in our daily lives. Whether it’s due to increased professional stress (both increased work for essential workers, and loss of work for non-essential folks), health stress, or personal stress from self-quarantining–we’re all facing big life changes now.

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Why Conflict In Your Relationship Can Be A Good Thing
Dating, Intimacy, Love, Relationships Hope+Wellness Dating, Intimacy, Love, Relationships Hope+Wellness

Why Conflict In Your Relationship Can Be A Good Thing

How do you handle conflict with your partner?

Every relationship deals with conflict at some point or another. Both parties might not always be aware of the conflict, but conflict is there all the same. It seems wild that conflict can actually have a positive effect on a relationship, but in truth, conflict is an opportunity.

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How to Figure Out What You Want in a Partner
Relationships, Dating Hope+Wellness Relationships, Dating Hope+Wellness

How to Figure Out What You Want in a Partner

From the outside, it seems as if dating today should be easier than ever.

With various apps and online dating services, you don’t even have to leave your couch to meet someone new! But while that can be a great thing (for busy people, people who’ve just moved to town, those just starting to get comfortable putting themselves out there, etc) it also creates its own very specific set of dating difficulties.

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How to Cope With Losing Relationships as a Result of Your Chronic Illness

How to Cope With Losing Relationships as a Result of Your Chronic Illness

Many people don’t understand what it’s like to be seriously ill. People often also don’t know what to do when someone is sick. If you’ve ever dealt with a loss in your life you might be familiar with this. Some people don’t know what to say or do, so instead of saying the ‘wrong’ thing, they disappear until the crisis is over. It’s not a nice thing to do, certainly, but it is a human reaction to discomfort. Unfortunately, for folks living with chronic illness, this experience is all too familiar. With chronic illness however, there is no end in sight, and because of that some relationships just don’t survive.

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