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Articles from Susie and Otto Collins | Selfgrowth.com
- 4 Tips For Moving Forward When Your Relationship has Ended - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2005 from Susie and Otto CollinsIt seems that everywhere you look, many long-standing (or short) relationships and/or marriages are dissolving. If you’re like most people, when this happens, you find yourself stuck in thinking about the past, wondering what went wrong, and unable to move from the pain of the relationship. ...
Views: 45372(10 votes) - 4 Relationship Tips When Your Partner is Stressed Out - by Submitted on Jan 05, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsWe all go through times of stress in our lives. When you're in the midst of difficulties, it can seem like the difficulty is all you can see. It can be equally challenging when the one you love is going through a tough time. Your partner may withdraw from you, lash out at you, or vacillate ...
Views: 19570 - One Myth about Affairs that Only Makes Your Broken Heart Pain Worse - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsIf your partner had an affair, you might be trying to figure out how this happened. Whether you are still in this relationship or not, your heart might feel broken into a million pieces. Unfortunately, some of the beliefs that you may hold about infidelity could be making your broken heart ...
Views: 17512(8 votes) - Relationship Trust Advice: How Transparent Do You Have To Be? - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsIs it possible to be completely transparent in your relationship? In other words, how honest do you consistently need to be with your mate in order to enjoy strong and healthy trust? After all, aren't there times when telling the whole truth is simply unwise? These questions relate to the ...
Views: 15996 - 3 Ways to Handle Your Partner's “Evil” Ex - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsJulie cannot believe the audacity of her husband Andrew's ex-wife. Julie and Andrew have been married for almost 6 months now and his ex continues to call him asking for favors, e-mail him with news about her family and even drop by their house, usually when Julie is out. It sometimes seems ...
Views: 7859 - Advice to Help You Set Boundaries with Your Flirting Partner - by Submitted on Aug 30, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsFlirting between two people can be fun, sexy and harmless...unless, of course, one of those two people is already in a committed relationship with someone else! When you are the one who watches (or hears about) your partner flirting with another person, it can be emotionally painful and it ...
Views: 7591(3 votes) - “How honest should I be about my past?”: Relationship Advice for those Tricky Situations - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsJake was a party guy in college. He stayed up late, was the life of every social event he attended and was never without a date. In fact, Jake had a lot of dates and sexual partners during this wilder time in his life. Now, 5 years later, Jake has settled down a bit. He still lives life to ...
Views: 7250(5 votes) - Relationship Advice: Are you in a “Fixer-Upper” Kind of Relationship? - by Submitted on Mar 25, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsDo you tend to see your partner as a “fixer-upper” kind of man or woman? Sure, you love him or her-- but there are certain aspects about your mate that, to you, need fixing or improving. Perhaps you spend your time either subtly (or more overtly) working to help your partner become more ...
Views: 6737 - 5 Ways to Start Off Your New Relationship on the Right Foot - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2008 from Susie and Otto CollinsSo you've met a special someone and have started spending a lot of time together. You're realizing that this attraction and connection is turning into a love relationship. This is exciting news but perhaps a little scary as well. Past relationships may have left you feeling hurt and wary of ...
Views: 6662 - How to Cope and Stay Open When Your Partner is Shut Down - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2008 from Susie and Otto Collins“I feel like I just walked into a buzz saw.” Have you ever felt this way about your partner? Perhaps you've been apart all day and when you next see him or her, it seems like you can't do anything to your mate's liking. In fact, to you it feels like your love is critical or ...
Views: 6335(1 vote) - Is a Rebound Relationship Always a Bad Idea? - by Submitted on May 11, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsRebound relationships: We've all seen them and many of us have had them. These are relationships that are entered into a short period of time after one (or both) person has been through a breakup, separation or divorce. A rebound relationship can look like any other love relationship. ...
Views: 5575 - Start Now to Change Your Bad Relationship Habits - by Submitted on May 27, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsHabits. We've all got them. Some of our habitual ways are beneficial and others can limit or even harm us. Couples can also fall into habits or tendencies in their relationship. It might be the assumptions you each tend to make about one another. It could be the habitual ways you two usually ...
Views: 5528 - Broken Heart Advice: Coping Tips When You Just Can't Let Go - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsBreaking up or getting a divorce might have been your idea. It could be that you, your partner or both of you were caught in destructive behaviors that could only be stopped by ending your relationship. Maybe there was abuse of some kind involved. Or perhaps the troubles in your ...
Views: 5385(7 votes) - 4 Things to Know Before Confronting Your Partner About Cheating - by Submitted on Mar 05, 2011 from Susie and Otto CollinsKim vacillates between raging anger and tears. She has lived with the suspicion that her husband was having an affair for almost a year and now she is sure. She has her proof and she wishes it was different. Confronting her husband about his affair-- that's still going on-- is not something ...
Views: 4784 - 2 Ways to Break Your Communication Stalemate - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2008 from Susie and Otto CollinsHave you ever wondered how a casual conversation with your mate can somehow end up an argument? Maybe you two started out talking about something as mild as the weather and in some way one or both of you were triggered and ended up shutting down. If you’re tuned in to yourself and your ...
Views: 4596 - Take Responsibility in Your Love Relationship or Marriage... What Will and Won't Help You Move Closer Together Again - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2011 from Susie and Otto CollinsEllen feels sick to her stomach. She and her husband, Jim, had a really difficult weekend. Out of town guests were staying with them and, on top of this, it came to light that Ellen has been lying to Jim about how precarious her job. She is still not sure exactly why she lied, but she has ...
Views: 4421 - Can You Use the Law of Attraction to Get Rid of Relationship Woes? - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsThere are many books, dvds, articles, lectures, courses and more about the Law of Attraction. You can learn how to use the Law of Attraction (LOA) to create more wealth, better health, a new car, a great job and, yes, a passionate love relationship or marriage. But here's the big ...
Views: 4391(6 votes) - Heal Your Broken Heart and Restore Trust One Moment at a Time - by Submitted on Mar 11, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsIf your heart has been broken by infidelity or another kind of betrayal, you might be trying to cope with the double whammy of grief and shattered trust. These two often go hand in hand. It may even be that, since the breakup of your relationship or marriage, everywhere you look people seem to ...
Views: 4180 - 3 Tips for Stopping Jealousy Before It Snowballs into Something Unstoppable - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsWe've all seen cartoons in which a character shapes snow into a ball, perhaps to build a snowman. As the ball of snow is rolled, it grows bigger and bigger. Pretty soon that snowball is quite large and here comes a slope or hill... The next thing we see are the arms and legs of our ...
Views: 4137(10 votes) - 3 Ways to Make Her Happy: Relationship Tips for Men - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsThe cover story on the men's magazine read, “Make Your Woman Deliriously Happy.” This article title immediately caught Jeff's attention. He was, however, disappointed to see that most of the suggestions involved bouquets of flowers, expensive romantic get-aways or extravagant jewelry. A big ...
Views: 3862 - Healing After a Break Up or Divorce - by Submitted on May 25, 2007 from Susie and Otto CollinsBreaking up just about always creates big changes in the lives of people and moving on can be fairly hard. A person might be stalled for a long time and it may be very difficult to handle common activities. whether or not your relationship break up has happened it has been years or yesterday, ...
Views: 3606 - Communication Tips Before Marriage - by Submitted on Jul 17, 2008 from Susie and Otto CollinsIn a love relationship or marriage there are always commitments. You might make a commitment to be monogamous with your partner. Or you might make a commitment to love him or her “through sickness and in health.” Even if you’ve not sworn in front of a religious leader or ...
Views: 3190 - Stop the Comparing Game to Stop Jealousy - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsDo you play the “Comparing Game?” If you get jealous easily, chances are high that you play this game-- that isn't fun and won't bring laughs into your life. In fact, both the “Comparing Game” and jealousy will undoubtedly cause you pain and wreak havoc on your love relationship or ...
Views: 3182(5 votes) - Communication Tips to Help You Talk Commitment Even When You're Not Ready for Marriage - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsLindsay and Brian have been dating for about a month now. They've been spending every weekend together. Both of them are beginning to wonder if this is turning into something more. This is an exciting time for Lindsay and Brian. They are having fun together and their growing intimacy is ...
Views: 3117(5 votes) - Does Power Lead a Faithful Man Astray? Cheating Prevention Tips - by Submitted on May 18, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsWe read about it all of the time. Wealthy men in positions of power who cheat on their wives. Some of them have multiple affairs. Even if you aren't married to a man who is rich and powerful, you might be concerned that someday the corrupting influence of power-- or an aspiration for ...
Views: 3099 - Confront Jealousy in Your Love Relationship or Marriage - by Submitted on May 18, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsWhen Jeff sees his girlfriend, Tami, flirting with another guy, he gets jealous-- really jealous. It can take every ounce of restraint that Jeff has to not storm over and confront the other man, and Tami too. But Jeff has promised himself-- and Tami-- that he won't let his jealousy take over ...
Views: 3043(1 vote) - Communication Advice to Help You Create Relationship Agreements About Tough Topics - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsIs there an issue about which you and your partner can't seem to see eye-to-eye? Perhaps you two try to avoid talking about or even looking at the tough topic because, in the past, it has only seemed to cause tension and arguments. The trouble is, these sensitive and challenging issues ...
Views: 2968(1 vote) - 3 Ways to Receive More Appreciation, Love and Passion in Your Love Relationship or Marriage - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsAmanda feels unloved and under-appreciated in her love relationship. She's dated Jeff for 2 years now and she's starting to wonder what she's doing in this passion-less relationship. To Amanda, it seems that Jeff is more willing to spend a weekend fixing her broken toilet, than he is to ...
Views: 2899(1 vote) - Trust Rebuilding Tips When You're Back with Your Ex Who Cheated - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsIt's been a turbulent couple of years for Selena and Robbie. After living together for over 5 years, Selena was shocked and outraged to learn that Robbie was having an affair with another woman who also lives in their apartment building. She was so upset about this, she packed up her ...
Views: 2834(1 vote) - “I work so hard for my relationship...so where's my payoff?” - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsDoes it seem to you that you're always the one in your relationship being flexible, giving and self-sacrificing? If it does, you're not alone. Many men feel like they bear the brunt of the work. They keep the yard mowed, go to work everyday, change the oil in the car, watch the kids and ...
Views: 2519(3 votes) - Are Your Partner's Tweets and Facebook Posts Making You Crazy?: Tips to Help with Social Networking-Induced Jealousy - by Submitted on Aug 16, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsJanelle is having a difficult time knowing what she can believe lately. She is well aware that her boyfriend, Paul, is a very social guy. He was popular in high school and college and now he is still a favorite among his co-workers. Paul stays in touch with a lot of people from his past ...
Views: 2484(1 vote) - “My spouse wants a divorce and there's nothing I can do about it...” - by Submitted on Sep 14, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsLindsay feels as if she's trapped in a nightmare. She was well aware that her marriage to Sam has been rocky over the past year or two, but she always believed that the two of them would eventually work out their problems. She was completely unprepared when Sam came home from work a few ...
Views: 2472(1 vote) - Long Distance Relationship Advice: Creative and Fun Tips to Stay Connected Across the Miles - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsJamie and Carlo fell in love while Jamie held a temporary job in the city where Carlo lives. When the time came for Jamie to return to her home-- which is in a neighboring country-- both of them worried about how to keep their relationship alive and well. They considered breaking off their ...
Views: 2428(4 votes) - Relationship Advice: “Should I Take My Partner Back After Infidelity?” - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsWhen you find out your partner had an affair, it can seem as if the world stopped and you are frozen in the feelings of pain and hurt in the aftermath of betrayal. As the reality settles in, you might be confused and conflicted about whether or not to take back your mate. You might be ...
Views: 2403 - How To Follow Through And Rebuild Trust Even After Infidelity - by Submitted on Sep 19, 2008 from Susie and Otto CollinsIf trust in your love relationship feels weakened, broken or completely lacking, perhaps you have made an intention to rebuild it. This can be especially so if there has been infidelity. You may not know exactly how to go about healing your relationship and moving closer to your partner, but ...
Views: 2306 - How to Communicate with Love when You Only See Red - by Submitted on May 06, 2008 from Susie and Otto CollinsHave you ever been so angry that everywhere you look you see what’s made you so upset? You can just about feel that steam rushing from your ears as cartoon images depict. It doesn’t matter what’s going on around you or what another person is trying to tell you, once you get ...
Views: 2261 - Stop Jealousy In Its Tracks - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsDo you ever feel like your jealousy takes over? It might seem to you that the stream of jealous thoughts you are having are never-ending and even unstoppable. They can appear to overwhelm and overpower you. As you might already know, you can easily end up saying or doing things that ...
Views: 2044(1 vote) - A Couple's Guide to Intimacy...When One of You is a Sexual Abuse Survivor - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2011 from Susie and Otto CollinsJeanette really wants to have a “normal” sex life with her husband Carl. The problem is her memories of being sexually abused as a child by a neighbor. It seems like whenever Carl touches her or talks to her in a sexually suggestive way, she freezes up. This has been a struggle for the two ...
Views: 1947 - Intimacy Enhancer or Mood Dampener?: The Potentials and Pitfalls of Back Rubs - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2008 from Susie and Otto CollinsAh, the back rub. In your love relationship, a back rub can be a welcome tension reliever at the end of a long stressful day. It can also be a prelude to lovemaking or other intimate connecting. But, unfortunately, a back rub can also backfire and end up causing pain, discomfort or even ...
Views: 1934 - Want Deeper Intimacy? Send Out A Message To Yourself - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2008 from Susie and Otto Collins“I’m sending out a message to myself so that when I hear it on the radio, I will know that I am fine. I will know that I am loved.” In an interview, Melissa Etheridge explains that she wrote these lyrics as an uplifting reminder to herself. We believe that the positive ...
Views: 1886 - Try a Spark Experiment in Your Marriage or Love Relationship - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsReverend Ed Young, founder of a nondenominational church in Texas, made an unusual proposal to his congregation a few months ago. He suggested that married couples in his church make an agreement to have sex with one another every day for seven days. This “sexperiment” was intended ...
Views: 1882 - "10 Things You Need To Ask Yourself If You Are Considering Whether To Stay In or Leave a Relationship" - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2005 from Susie and Otto CollinsWhether you’ve been in your relationship for 2 months, 2 years or 20 years, we don’t have to tell you that making the decision to stay in or leave a relationship is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. We’ve both also made this decision ourselves in our ...
Views: 1870(1 vote) - Dating After Divorce: How Can You Tell That You're Ready? - by Submitted on Apr 17, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsIn many cases, immediately after going through a divorce, a person is not too interested in getting into a relationship with someone new. Hurt feelings, sadness, grief, even anger are quite common. These emotions need to be dealt with and moved through before the person can truly open up to ...
Views: 1705 - Nurture the Most Important Relationship You'll Ever Have - by Submitted on Jan 18, 2011 from Susie and Otto CollinsAre you in a love relationship or marriage with your soulmate? Have you found “the one” for you? Maybe you haven't yet found “Mr. Right” or “Ms Right” and are trying to attract the relationship of your dreams. If you're in a relationship with someone you love and you want this ...
Views: 1620(1 vote) - Broken Heart and Infidelity Advice: “I didn't realize that I was the 'other woman'” - by Submitted on Feb 03, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsA breakup can be excruciating to go through. The end of your relationship can evoke feelings of loss, grief, sadness and anger. In these moments of pain, it might seem that you will never be as happy again. You may wonder if you'll ever have another love like this. Patti feels this ...
Views: 1610(1 vote) - 5 Signs that It's Time to Go - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2011 from Susie and Otto CollinsJessica is a mess. She has cried herself to sleep-- all alone-- more nights than she can even keep track of. Her husband, Charles, has been absent a lot of the time. He stays out all night, partying with friends or, when he does come home, he sleeps on the couch. When Jessica and Charles ...
Views: 1608(2 votes) - 3 Simple Yet Powerful Ways to Stay Connected to Your Partner - by Submitted on Sep 03, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsNo matter how long you and your partner have been together, it doesn't take long for the two of you to become disconnected. Between work and family demands on your time and energy, staying close to your mate can easily get lost in the shuffle. And from a place of disconnection, ...
Views: 1605(4 votes) - Is it too easy to get a divorce these days? Advice to Help You Through Relationship Rough Spots - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2010 from Susie and Otto CollinsA recent article in Psychology Today discusses the current state of marriage in the U.S. The author of the article asserts that couples in the U.S. today have too many choices-- and this is leading them to get divorced when the going gets rough. We don't get the sense that this Psychology ...
Views: 1572 - 5 Ways to Stay Connected with the One You Love in Times of Stress - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2008 from Susie and Otto CollinsWe've all had stressful times in our lives-- some of us seem to have more frequent stress and upheaval than others. And if you've been in the middle of a stressful period, you probably know that being under pressure can have detrimental effects on your love relationship. This is the time that ...
Views: 1534 - Marriage Beliefs That Can Potentially Make or Break Your Relationship - by Submitted on Apr 29, 2009 from Susie and Otto CollinsDid you know that the beliefs you hold about marriage can significantly impact the relationship you have with your spouse? You may chock up your beliefs to merely 'thoughts,' but they actually can mean the difference between you having the relationship you want and feeling dissatisfied or ...
Views: 1456(1 vote)