What’s Tough About February 14? Besides the possibility of being caught in a winter blizzard, February 14 is the one day a year when the cultural spotlight aims its beams of light on the heart of the relationship. How soft, flattering or harsh the light feels, depends on the health of that heart, year to [...]
Holiday Toolkit
Tidying Up The Holiday Mess: The Coupledom Hangover
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.Blight on the New Year: The ornaments are boxed, the ball has dropped and the seasonal remains of the day have been put away yet there remains some unwanted detritus from the holiday past. Those sticky, hard-to-get-off-the-soles-of-your shoes type of goo where some clash or alienation has occurred, either within the Coupledom or between the Coupledom [...]
Bracing For Santa: Holiday Performance Anxiety In The Coupledom
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.Anticipating Complications: If you notice, as the days darken and talk of turkeys and Black Friday fill the air, that your insides have begun to retract and breathing has become a more shallow affair, perhaps you are suffering from Holiday Performance Anxiety. And if the communication between you and your partner about when to leave [...]
Valentines With Heart and Humor: A Developmental Approach
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.A Different Perspective: This will be my third post on the “lovers” holiday and I am stretching my brain to think what I might add to the topic that would be useful here. In the post Valentine’s Day Gifts Take Some Knowing I tackled the topic of gift giving. Valentine’s Day and The Coupledom: Is [...]
Aftermath: Cleaning Up The Coupledom’s Holiday Mess
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.What Was Your Holiday Like? I counted three holiday disasters in my caseload prior to New Year’s and I expect reports of more in the coming days. Disaster may be too strong a word since I believe most “messes” can be worked on and cleaned up with help. Hence the post. But holiday pressure puts many [...]
Hanukkah is here… Christmas is coming… Don’t miss these posts from The Holiday Toolkit
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.The holidays are upon us, and with them, the potential for stressful times for The Coupledom. Whether we are talking about Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Passover, Ramadan, Valentines Day or just making resolutions on New Years Day, these posts have been popular in the past and offer useful insights, particularly at this time of the [...]
Holiday Toolkit 2011: Divorced: Now What To Do With The Ex-Laws?
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.While this post isn’t specifically about the holidays, it is all about family relationships and dealing with the “ex-laws” after a divorce – which always shows up as a major factor during holiday season. So we are adding it to the Holiday Toolkit in the hopes that it may just help you survive the most [...]
Have a Happy Thanksgiving from The Couples Tool Kit!
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.Jill is taking a vacation from the Blog this week for Thanksgiving. She’ll be back next week with new posts for both the Couples Tool Kit and Parenting Adult Special Needs: One Day at a Time. We wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving holiday. And if you’re looking for Jill’s posts about the stress [...]
Holiday Toolkit 2011: The Narcissist’s Stocking Stuffer: A Coupledom Alert
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.What do you get a narcissist for the holidays? No, this isn’t a bad joke — just another helpful post from The Holiday Toolkit intended to help you survive the most wonderful time of the year. Today’s post from the Holiday Toolkit: Excerpt: How many days to Thanksgiving? To Hanukkah? To Christmas? To Kwanzaa? To [...]
Holiday Toolkit 2011: ToolKit of New Years Vows for Relationship 2010
Written by Jill Edelman M.S.W., L.C.S.W.As we all enter the weekend before Thanksgiving, it’s not too early to begin thinking about the end of the year and the health of our relationships. Here is another post about relationships and the holidays from the Holiday Toolkit. Today’s post from the Holiday Toolkit: Excerpt: Take a moment, contrived as it may sound, [...]