Simple Acts of Kindness Can Revitalize Your Relationship

Creating a healthy relationship with someone else starts with knowing yourself.  Your attitude is the key to understanding yourself and the world you live in.  It’s up to you to make the mental shift from a negative to positive perspective which allows you to see the possibilities in your life.  ‘Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.’

Positive Communication

Sara Blakeslee of Marriage and Family Therapy Institute said “You should be in touch with your emotional side and be able to communicate those feelings in a constructive manner.”  Most people are looking for a trustworthy companion who they can spend time with and have fun with.  Sometimes the small, daily challenges in a relationship can have you focusing on the problems instead of the positive aspects of your relationship.  Blakeslee’s new book, 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great, gives simple steps on how to enhance your marriage or relationship.  “Expect less, get more; give incentives and rewards; have daily briefings; implement change; and keep costs low, benefits high.”     Another suggestion the book states is to build communication with the use of “affective affirmation” or speaking nice and affirming words to your spouse.  This positive interchange will initiate the necessary alteration that can transform a relationship instantly.

Be thoughtful

Simple acts of kindness can rekindle feelings of love, respect and admiration in a relationship.  “It’s not about the elaborate trips or expensive dinners,” motivational speaker Jay Forte explains. “Rather life becomes an event when you pay attention to the details that show you care.”  Celebrate your relationship this week by recreating your first date, pull out old photos to recall fun memories or dance to music from your dating years.  Surprise your partner with filling their car up with gas, unloading the dishwasher or purchasing a book by their favorite author.  These thoughtful gestures let your partner know you are thinking about them and display the behaviors that say, “I love you.”

 

Take the Love Dare

The month of February bombards us with commercials of purchasing certain products to display the love that you feel for the people in your life.  As we struggle with the different relationships in our lives, most people realize that there is more to intimacy than just purchasing an item.  People come from all walks of life and from all over the world.  We come in all shapes and sizes, old and young with different hopes and desires.  The one thing that we all have in common is that each and every one of us desire to matter and be loved.

Love is more than a gift   

People show that they care for one another in their words, actions and attitudes that are displayed each and every day. This gift of love has no dollar value and must be nurtured for it to thrive.  It may cost you your time to simply be with someone when they are sad, hurt or lonely.  There are unlimited ways that you can let the people in your life know you are thinking of them.  You may make their favorite meal or surprise them by purchasing tickets to a special event or show.  Plan a special evening alone or finish the “honey do” list that has been pending for months.  Money and gifts can prove their love for one day but it can leave you lonely for the remainder of the year. 

The Love Dare

Over time relationships can become strained with the pressures of life and couples may desire to renew or rekindle their love.  The Love Dare, written by Alex and Stephen Kendrick who are pastors at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia wrote a forty-day guided devotional experience that leads your heart back to truly loving your spouse.  Each day asks you to look at specific ways to display love to your partner to heal your relationship.  These are simple acts of love that can also be used for children, extended family members or anyone who has been difficult for you to display unconditional love to.  So this Valentine’s Day challenge yourself to improve or revitalize your relationships all year round.

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”  Maya Angelou

 

 

2014 Best of Hutchinson Award

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gina D. Heyen, LCMFT Receives 2014 Best of Hutchinson Award

Hutchinson Award Program Honors the Achievement
HUTCHINSON December 10, 2014 -- Gina D. Heyen, LCMFT has been selected for the 2014 Best of Hutchinson Award in the Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist category by the Hutchinson Award Program.

Each year, the Hutchinson Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Hutchinson area a great place to live, work and play.
            
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2014 Hutchinson Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Hutchinson Award Program and data provided by third parties.
            

About Hutchinson Award Program

 

The Hutchinson Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Hutchinson area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Hutchinson Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: Hutchinson Award Program