My first two days of grad school have been AMAZING.
It feels so good to be studying topics I am passionate about and truly interested in. Although I spend hour upon hour reading and studying mental health, I find that I enjoy what I am studying. YAY!
One of my classes is marriage and family therapy. However the material we are covering applies to all relationships (friendships, marriages, partnerships, family members, etc)
The following five questions can be asked to both people (or a small group of people) and discussed to help strengthen, evaluate, and become aware and mindful of our relationships.
Each person spends 3-5 minutes answering each question. In between each question you take 1 minute to document in 1-2 sentences the sensations you were feeling as you documented your answer. Complete all questions, then use my guidelines below to begin a discussion.
1. What is the purpose of a partnership?
*note how you felt while writing this down in 1 or 2 sentences.
2. Partnerships and relationships are successful when? (fill in your answers)
*note how you felt while writing this down in 1 or 2 sentences.
3. Partnerships fail when? (fill in your answers)
*note how you felt while writing this down in 1 or 2 sentences.
4. What are your non-negotiables in a relationship?
*note how you felt while writing this down in 1 or 2 sentences.
5. What do you want out of a relationship?
*note how you felt while writing this down in 1 or 2 sentences.
After you complete the exercise discuss the feelings you wrote down and compare and contrast the emotions you felt. Which of those emotions improve or hurt your relationship? How does that emotion impact your body? Listen and learn from your partner in this exercise and use it as a guide to bring more meaning and awareness to your relationship.
I'll take note of these questions and maybe I can use them with my husband one of these days!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. It definitely works for unmarried folks as well. I look forward to trying them with my partner.
ReplyDelete