How To Help Your Depressed Parent

 

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Seeing your mom or dad in a depressive state more often than not has a vast impact on the offspring’s perspective. Questions like “Is it because of something I did or didn’t do?” and “Am I not enough reason for them to be happy?” may start filling your head at one point. But understand from here on out that it may not even be because of you.

Parents tend to experience some depression when they go through a significant change. It can come right after retiring from work, getting a divorce, losing a beloved, or sending off the kids to college. The symptoms may disappear once they get accustomed to their new life. If the condition remains the same for weeks, though, it’s your job as the child to help your depressed parent in any way possible.

The aim is to learn to regulate your emotions – and note that regulating emotions is not the same as controlling. — SUSAN J. O’GRADY, PHD

Below are the three tips on how to be effective at that.

 

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  1. Recognize Their Pain

 

People, in general, avoid receiving assistance from others who belittle or can’t understand what caused them to feel down. Thus, you need to show your folks that you see where they’re coming from and that you want to help them get over it.

It’ll also be great if you recognize that their negative emotions won’t go away instantly. There’s a process for that. You just have to stay by their side without judgment at all times.

 The practice of gratitude journaling is an effective way to build resilience and optimism, which act as antidotes to that negative voice. Gratitude journaling is a practice of focusing on things in your life that are positive. — SAUNDRA JAIN, MA, LPC, PSYD

  1. Encourage Your Parent To Share Their Woes

 

It is quite common for parents to keep problems to themselves to prevent burdening their children. That can happen as well even when the kids are old enough to live independently. Rather than saying they aren’t OK, therefore, they always put on a happy face in front of the brood.

Despite that façade, you perhaps know your parent too well to realize if they’re truthful or not. In case you notice them going down the depression alley, get out of your way to reassure them that you’re there once they’re ready to talk. Sometimes, individuals need that kind of encouragement to be able to speak up about their issues.

 

  1. CallOr Visit Them Every Day

 

The ideal action when your parent is in a depressive state is to persuade him or her to live with you. Or, move back in with them so that you’ll be able to monitor their condition. However, if your job location doesn’t allow you to do the latter, or your old folks just won’t leave their place, you may resort to regular visits and daily calls instead.

What a depressed parent needs to feel is that they are still valuable to you and other members of the family. The fact that you probably have a life of your own and no longer asks for money from them may amplify their helplessness and hopelessness, which are a couple of depression signs. Hence, you should let them detect your love and care often.

Besides, doing so will give you the opportunity to look for signs of suicidal tendencies. Thoughts of death easily flood a depressed person’s brain, especially when they have nothing to do. You won’t then have regrets too once you stop them from making such a horrible – and irreversible – decision.

 

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We all needed the “good enough” mother, and we also need the “good enough therapist.” We are not perfect. — Sarah Jenkins, MC, LPC

If all else fails, you may coax your mom or dad to get therapy. They may not be amiable at first, but you have to try to help them get out of depression.

 

Teen Early Relationship – What Can You Expect?

 

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Our recent generation of teens is difficult to handle because it is the stage of their lives that they allow themselves to become more adaptive to change not only with their perspective of life but also with their contribution to their society as well.

In the recent list of counseling problems, most parents are experiencing tons of issues with their teens with regards to their relationship with the opposite sex. It somehow creates an impact on their overall development. As of now, most parents are starting to accept the fact that they no longer control this recent era. With that said, parents become fully aware of the things that might happen when their teens indulge in an early relationship.

Of course, necessary as it is for all of us to find and forge an enduring relationship with a loved one, the process of discovering and nurturing healthy intimacy is often a long, and sometimes harrowing, one, comprised of one or more relationships that do not appear to be quite as healthy and suitable as caring parents would like them to be for their offspring. — Brad E Sachs Ph.D.

Forced Maturity

When kids push themselves to become mature, they lose the balance of emotional growth. The harder they imply the needs for the changes, the sooner their perception becomes irrational. They will think that they’re entitled to give obnoxious opinions to those people who don’t seem to like their actions. They become empowered with the idea that they can handle the relationship as much as an adult can.

 

Early Sexual Encounter

The adolescent stage of initial introduction to sexual contact has its own positive and negative side. The teenage exposure to having an immature relationship can bring more curiosity in dealing with sexual intimacy. However, teens are becoming aggressive and liberated that they often forget the restrictions that come along with the action. Soon, it will be too late to realize that the early exposure to sex can bring a lot of health complications.

 

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Parents telling kids how lousy sex is for them has one major drawback – the kids are already having sex and can draw their own conclusions. — Stanton Peele Ph.D.

Multiple Sex Partners

As early as teenagers enter a relationship, they will develop the perception of having ‘too much experience’ where they try to feel free as much as they want. In regards to that, they will think about sex and relationship as something that can come and go. Eventually, they will end up having multiple sex partners because they think they are only allowing themselves to become well-experienced.

 

Teenage Pregnancy

Yes, the highlight of early teenage-relationship is adolescent pregnancy. People can expect it to happen. It creates complication because teenagers who underwent early pregnancy might encounter tons of emotional, psychological, and physical issues. Since they cannot handle the stress of early motherhood, it will cause a problem with maturity. Because of that, some of them might end up getting an abortion.

 

Stress

It is one of the significant things that teenagers can expect when engaging in an early relationship. Most of the times, they will not be able to comprehend the sudden changes that might happen when it comes to assessing their issues. As a result, they will end up complaining about a lot of things concerning their life and eventually get depressed. In severe cases, they might consider harming themselves or committing suicide.

 

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You might think that truly loving someone means caring about them with all of your being – but you can’t really give all of your being to the relationship. — LESLIE BECKER-PHELPS, PHD

Teenagers engaging in early relationships are somehow prone to have complicated lives. In fact, their emotional and psychological health is somehow not ready for the pressures these relationships can give. Consequently, there’ll be tons of issues that they will encounter that would affect their perception of life.

Is Your Marriage Falling Apart? Here’s What You Can Do

 

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Marital issues are inevitable, and couples should understand the importance of its process. There is always a time that both husband and wife will develop a complicated view of their relationship. Sometimes, the decision lies on whether they would end it or try to fix the issues. Here are some counseling tips that you can do when you feel that your marriage is falling apart.

Write down the consequences of your unhealthy habits, including both positives and negatives. The downsides might be so obvious to you that it’s easy to ignore their benefits. — SETH J. GILLIHAN, PHD

Talk About The Problem

Instead of avoiding or starting a conflict, you can as well sit down and talk about the issue that complicates your relationship. From there, both of you will be able to understand what each of you is undergoing emotionally. It will lessen the tension when you try to cooperate in resolving your marital issues instead of ignoring the source of the problem.

 

Listen To Your Partner

Communication is a two-way process. When you want to tell your partner about the things that stress you in a relationship, you should at least try to consider listening to them as well. Listening will help in resolving some misunderstanding and allow both of you to have a more comprehensive view of the situation. You’ll be able to understand each other’s thoughts and feelings and figure out both of your mistakes so you can work it out.

 

Show Affection

Showing affections doesn’t have to follow a script. In fact, it should be offered wholeheartedly. Once you master the art of appreciating your other half, you’ll soon realize the benefits of your actions. Both of you will have a clear thought of how you want the relationship to go. You’ll quickly apprehend giving an effort in return.

 

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Appreciate Your Significant Other

Try to look for things that can make you acknowledge even the little things that your partner is offering you. Instead of complaining about what they can’t do, be more appreciative enough in giving them compliments for trying their best. Since each of you has your imperfections, it is better to learn to value one another and lower down your standards.

According to relationship researcher John Gottman, in heterosexual relationships, women are the ones to bring up problems 80 percent of the time. — LESLIE BECKER-PHELPS, PHD

Resolve Your Issues Together

Marriage is a commitment that both of you should handle. When experiencing issues, both you and your partner should realize your roles in sustaining a healthy marriage. Both of you should seek resolution no matter how simple and complicated an issue is because you have equal responsibility for keeping the relationship.

 

Trust Your Partner

Trust is one crucial factor that keeps a marriage. Though you may feel entitled to have the benefit of the doubt, you have to make sure that you fully support your partner in all of his actions. Never initiate a doubtful attitude because it will definitely add negativity to an ongoing marital complication.

 

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Controlling implies suppression, which is unhealthy both physically and mentally. Regulation is about applying conscious thought to our feelings, giving you the power to reduce their intensity. — SUSAN J. O’GRADY, PHD

Contribute To Your Partners Development

Being married, you have the responsibility to help your significant other in attaining his or her overall development. You have to be there for your husband or wife’s emotional, psychological, and behavioral states. You have to contribute to your partner’s growth to allow them to become better versions of themselves.

Since you and your partner have decided to spend your lives together, you should at least try and understand the importance of each of your roles in the relationship. Your marriage will no doubt experience a lot of ups and downs, but your perception of the commitment can save it from falling apart.

 

 

 

 

Simple Ways To Improve Your Sex Life

 

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It’s quite common for a relationship to get or feel dull over time. In worst cases, you might consider having sex as a less important part of the relationship and won’t acknowledge doing it at all. But that doesn’t mean you have to prioritize it in your life. By following the tips on how to solve your sex life, you will be able to bring the passion back in no time.

By bringing up and addressing problems, a partner is much more likely to get to a resolution or find a positive way to live with unresolvable differences. By just talking about an issue (when done in a constructive way), partners come together as a team to work on it. — LESLIE BECKER-PHELPS, PHD

Have Frank Talks – When you and your partner can go directly into having sex and don’t talk about it, you’ll soon see the act as a requirement and not something that can connect the both of you. However, when you try to ask each other what both of you want in bed, it will allow you to get more comfortable in sharing what you like and what you don’t. Both of you can have the advantage of using sex as a means of understanding each other.

 

Have Time For Sex – You and your significant other probably have a lot of daily things to do, but that doesn’t mean that you should set aside the time for having sex. You can at least spare a moment and bond with your partner so you can feel each other’s connection. Setting time for sex is a necessity because it will allow you to satisfy the desire for intimate sexual intercourse.

 

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Turn Up Your Moods – You don’t have sex just because you need to do it. You have to make use of some methods that can turn up the heat between the two of you and boost the excitement. You can exchange sexy texts messages, you can use some sensual touch to some of your partner’s sensitive parts of the body, or you can spice up the eagerness of wanting to have sex by whispering erotic words.

Think about using music, scents such as candles or lotion, or sensual fabrics such as satin or leather. You can also use erotic stories or art to set the mood. — Rachel Keller, LCSW-C

Don’t Forget The ForeplayForeplay serves as the most significant factor of sex. Aside from helping in the increase of libido, it contributes a huge role in giving satisfaction to and consequently getting an orgasm. It allows increased sensitivity and intense excitement that is beneficial in providing you and your partner an improved and enjoyable sex life.

 

Throw Some Compliments – When you and your partner are having sex, there’s a need for compliments. Most people get embarrassed by their physical appearance, so as a partner you should make sure that your significant other is confident in her own body. It will help in boosting inner energy in performance and can affect endurance as well.

 

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Let Her Take The Lead – A man usually takes the lead in having sex. However, when you allow a woman to initiate sexual pleasure on several occasions, you’ll be amazed at how they can sensually handle the intercourse. In most cases, they tend to be more adventurous and explore different techniques in sexual positions.

In all honesty, complications may eventually arise when a couple loses interest in sex. Sexual intercourse is a vital part of a relationship so people should understand that its purpose is to make a connection.

A satisfying sexual relationship is often crucial to the success of a romantic relationship. — Stuart B. Fensterheim, LCSW

Couples Counseling 101 – Tips On How To Spice Up Your Relationship

It feels like there’s something wrong in your relationship, but you don’t know what it is. You don’t want to break up, but something has to change in the relationship.

When a relationship starts feeling dull, it’s essential for partners to acknowledge these feelings and work together to spice up the relationship and reignite the love and excitement they once shared. Whether through spontaneous gestures, heartfelt communication, or finding creative ways to spice up your sex life, putting in effort can make even long distance relationships feel vibrant while making your partner feel he is your best love.

How to spice up your relationship? Does kissing helps with intimacy?
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Focus on how to spice up your relationship. You need to determine if the connection can come back again. Learn the tips as to how to spice up your relationship.

When it comes to spicing up your relationships, a little role-playing is a great way to add some excitement, effort, confidence, conversation, and variety. It can be as simple as switching roles in the daily routines that you already have or taking on a new persona in an adventurous situation like bungee jumping. Role-playing allows couples to explore, discuss, and watch themselves in bed and with each other without feeling afraid about what others will say.

Sexual intimacy is often one of the casualties. Time, stress, and busy schedules make it difficult for couples to find the time when both partners are interested and available for sex. — Rachel Keller, LCSW-C

By Kissing

According to an intimacy expert, a kiss is one of the most critical parts of a romantic connection and is considered a major relationship saver. It doesn’t matter whether it should take seconds or minutes as long as you mean it. By doing it more often and passionately, you can positively bring back the spice in your relationship. But you have to take note that a quick smack on the lip doesn’t stir up much emotion, so try to kiss your partner in a meditative practice or way that you can give a message of affection to your loved one.

Passionate kisses, for instance, not only create an intimate physical connection but also fulfill the emotional need for physical touch, making partners feel loved and valued. Amid life’s challenges, don’t forget that such moments of quality time and affection can be powerful, offering a way to spice up your relationship and strengthen your bond, irrespective of concerns like weight loss, leaving you both wondering how to spice up your relationship further.

Be Spontaneous!

You might think that after marriage, you’ll have to follow specific marital routines that can sustain your married life. No, there’s no such thing. One best tip is you have to be spontaneous and allow yourselves to do things like you used to do. In this way, you are not only avoiding dull and fake habits in your love life, but you’ll enjoy the things you do even right before you decide to get married. You should stay spontaneous.

You Should Try New Things

Your marriage has something to do with the countless things that you do together. You and your partner should spend time doing things that both of you can enjoy and avoid being stagnant in a routine that can eventually damage your marriage. Create the best pleasure roadmap that both of you can agree on.

You can explore and learn from different experiences and help partners concentrate. Remember, the secret of some of the couples’ loving connections is their willingness to do and try different new and fun things. Trying new things will benefit your relationship.

Traveling can help build your connection to each other
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Clearly, addressing problems and appreciating the positives are both essential to a healthy relationship. — LESLIE BECKER-PHELPS, PHD

Share Those Feelings

You might say, ” How to spice up the relationship by opening up?” A marital problem may arise if you don’t share what’s on your mind because your partner will never know what you feel. It’s significantly important in your relationship that you open every communication line between you and your significant other. Simply talking with each other helps.

Focus on making time to talk about exciting ideas and everything, such as your desires, needs, and dreams. Be honest about your feelings so both of you can find a solution and work on a significant matter or problem. A key factor that makes a relationship last.

Many couples struggle to keep the spark alive in their lives and relationships, especially when they have been together for a long time. However, there are simple ways you can bring happiness and create big-impact moments of happiness throughout the day. For example, try creating a special sign with your partner which suggests care for each other.

Here are some additional ideas for how to spice up your relationship using house, movies, and music.

Physical Contact Is The Key

In a  commitment, sex life or physical contact doesn’t only mean new position sexual satisfaction but also a partner’s love language. You can at least hug each other, hold hands, massage, cuddle, get intimate, or merely sit beside each other and spend time watching a movie.

Your physical connection and sexy session are going to be your way to spice up the relationship by showing the affection you have for your partner. That’ll ignite emotional attachment, new memories, and new traditions in the relationship. The physical touch should spice and make things hot in your sex life and remove sexual tension.

If in case both of you are open to role-playing in your sex life, then go for it. You can spend quality time intimately by watching porn and using gender-neutral toys or sex toys. If you both not sure about what to do, you can always seek advice from a good sex or oral sex coach who and guide you on the right track through erotic literature that can make both turn on.

Sex as the love language will promote more intense connection as well as spontaneously intimate thoughts, creating traditions and quality moments that you and your partner need.

Making time to touch one another will strengthen the bond you share because it also connects your emotional aspects as well.

 A romatic date to take note of with a glass of wine on a beautiful shore
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Go On Dates

It seems pretty much less essential for married couples to go on a date and work on their sexual connection because they have so many things to do in everyday life. There should never be a reason for putting typical date night aside just because you’re married.

Bring back the spark in your connection and reminisce about the good things about your marriage and sex life. Create a simple and memorable date night that both of you will never forget. It may be as simple as getting a cup of something at the usual spot or in a different coffee shop, or just working on your bucket list. You can also switch locations and get a room service massage as long as you are on the same page.

Giving emotionally to our partners is extremely important. To share ourselves through sex means being emotionally vulnerable to the person in our world who is the most important to us, and couples thrive on the empathy and emotional response that occurs when they are fully present with one another during sexual intimacy. — Stuart B. Fensterheim, LCSW

LSpice Up The Relationship

Final Thoughts And Takeaways

There are several effective ways to keep your marriage alive. You just need to understand that marriage won’t secure a future together unless you continue to work on it. There’s no secret to becoming a better lover. Just become the best friend your partner needs, and surely, you’ll have a premium quality relationship with little to no stress, a large connection, improved love languages, and plenty of date nights.

Try taking the kids out for a day off and visiting an unfamiliar restaurant or park together – you’ll be surprised at how much fun everyone can have! For those nights when you feel stuck in a bit of a rut, plan a night out with friends or just the two of you. It can be beneficial for your health.

Frequently Asked Questions

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