Advice for couples who double as business partners

Most couples agree that they love spending as much time as they can with their partner, but they like having a daily break while at work, too. But what about couples who work together?

Whether at home or in an office, it can be challenging for couples to combine work and play without driving each other bonkers!

In order to prevent useless fights, couples need to learn ways to make — and keep — the peace. Here, we're providing tips for couples who work together either at home or in an office.

For those who don't work together, working at home with your spouse may seem like a dream come true (the grass is always greener, right?). You can have breakfast and lunch together, chat throughout the day and go on afternoon walks. Sounds like heaven — but if you're actually living in this situation, you know that it's not always as nice as it seems. You never get a “break” or time to yourself. Also, if one of you is having a bad day, the other person is totally aware and it takes away from the excitement you feel when you finally get to see each other after a long day's work.

Have separate offices. At the very least, have two separate work areas. You both need to be able to focus on your own job without being distracted by the other person.Set your own schedule. Are you an early riser but your spouse prefers to work late? That's OK — create a schedule that works for you.Designate time to spend together. Make a habit of spending some time during your day with your spouse. Maybe you want to eat lunch together every afternoon or take a 15-minute break in the afternoon to chat. It's up to you — but having a small amount of time set aside to talk to your spouse eliminates disruptions when you're both working.Disclaimer: If you and your spouse run a business together at home, you may need to share an office and set office hours that work for the both of you. You should still designate a specific slot of time to simply reconnect throughout the day, though.

Almost everyone knows (or is) a couple that met through work. While there's nothing wrong with this, it's important to remain professional and not let your personal life interfere with your job.

Don't carpool once a week. Though carpooling saves on gas, this is your only chance to have some alone time, run errands after work or make separate lunch plans.Keep PDA to a minimum. If your husband comes to your desk at the end of the day and greets you with a kiss, that's perfectly acceptable. But know that excessive PDA can make others uncomfortable, especially in the workplace, so keep it to a minimum.Set clear boundaries. Keep work at work and your personal life at home. At the office, there's no need to discuss personal matters — save that for the car ride home. Same goes for work talk — it's normal to discuss it at home every once in a while, but make sure to focus on your relationship instead of your work life.

And finally — there are those lucky couples who actually run a business together. This is a challenging feat for even the strongest of couples.

Communication is key. Just because your spouse is your business partner doesn't mean you can't speak up about changes you think are necessary. On the flip side, it also doesn't give you the right to be bossy or rude. Communicate your needs clearly, as you would to a regular business associate.Use each other's strengths. The beauty of working with your spouse is you know them better than you know anyone else. Separate your work into areas that allow you each to focus on your strengths and run the business the most efficiently.Continue bonding as a couple. Those that run a business together tend to lose sight of who they are as a couple. Continue to go on date nights, cook romantic meals at home and partake in hobbies together. Don't let your spouse strictly become your business partner.

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Married with babies? Real couples share how they keep the spark alive

Keeping the spark alive in your relationship is a challenge once babies enter your lives. Thankfully, some couples have mastered this and are sharing their tips with us!

Marriage is your main priority until a little one enters your life. Then, all you want to do is sleep and take time for yourself. Romance normally falls to the wayside, but it's crucial for your kids to keep your marriage a priority. Here, real couples share how they keep the spark alive?— even when they're exhausted!

Ami has a 14-year old, a 5-year old and a 3-year old, yet maintains an incredible sex life with her husband. Her tricks include:

On weekends, tiring the kids out during the day to make sure they go to bed earlyPlaying jazz music at night in their room instead of turning on the TVOpening a bottle of wine or scotch to get the mood goingTexting each other during the day with stuff related to sexShowering together after the kids go to bedEvery once in a while, scheduling sex

We see why Ami and her husband still have romance in their marriage — they put in the effort daily!

Pamela and her husband had to think outside the box when they had kids at home. When the kids were little, they would put them to bed early or let them watch their favorite television show while she and her husband sat in the dining room with a drink talking and enjoying each other's company. As the kids got older, they would shower together or take a bath together in the evenings. This helped them maintain the closeness and stay connected as a couple even with the kids in the house.

Men can do their part by: Making sure their wife feels loved and appreciated. By offering a helping hand whenever possible, you're doing your part to keep your marriage a priority and expressing love to your wife.

Roland offers a few tips on things men can do to help keep the romance alive once a baby enters their lives. He advises men to show their wives plenty of appreciation during this challenging time of losing sleep and sacrificing her wants and desires to care for the family. Specific things men can do include:

Leaving her a note of gratitude and letting her know she is still sexy to youBringing home dinner or offering to make a meal for herTaking care of the baby once you get home from workPampering her with a massageBringing her flowersHiring someone to help clean the house

Men and women both agree that scheduling regular date nights is a must when married with babies. It may be easier to just take the kids with you, but then you're focused on the kids as opposed to each other. Other useful tips include:

Hiring a babysitter regularlyHugging and touching each other on a regular basisHolding hands in the car and while out in publicDoing fun things together outside of the houseHaving “maintenance” sex — or having sex even though you may not feel up for it simply to keep the emotional bond and connection going

We want to know — how do you keep the spark alive in your marriage? Share in the comments below!

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Marriage Relationship Counseling For Couples - Getting Anxiety Counseling

Today there are many different types of stress that an individual might experience. Anxiety counseling is one type of therapy that one might seek if they are struggling with this problem. Additionally marriage relationship counseling can help a couple work out the problems that they might have.

Many different things can lead to serious problems with any relationship today. Financial strain and work stress can lead to arguing that creates even more stress. Additionally other problems such as infidelity or other types of addictions can also result in problems within the relationship.

When you are looking for a way to resolve the problems you are experiencing, you can turn to various forms of therapy to help you. Determining the right counselor will be important as each one offers you a different approach to resolving the issues. Because there are a number of things that you can do to solve problems today, you might find that specific methods work best for you.

In some situations, you might be seeking the help of a therapist to work through issues of extreme stress in your relationship that was caused by another person outside the relationship. There are a number of reasons that a relationship might experience stress. However, problems such as infidelity and other types of addictions can quickly result in a relationship ending if it is not addressed properly.

Determining the source of the issues will be the first step for any type of counseling whether it be for a couple or for an individual. In some cases, individual counseling may also require bringing in the rest of the family to help. When any one person is experiencing a problem, others around them are affected as well.

Marriage relationship counseling for couples will help a couple to restore their relationship or make the decision that the issues cannot be resolved. When you are willing to try to work through the problems, getting counseling will help by having a third party basically mediate the discussions and negotiations that need to take place. For any issues to be resolved, both parties need to be able to make changes to their behaviors and work with the other person.

Anxiety counseling is done in a number of different ways. The strength of the anxiousness that the person feels will first need to be determined as well as if it is a general anxiety or only toward specific situations. Medication may also be prescribed to help work through the issues by helping the person be more relaxed.

About Us: Deciding to seek counseling to help you work through problems can be very helpful. Visit http://www.renewyourpassion.com/ to learn more about the therapy choices available to help you get the help you need. Christopher Diggins, MA, LMHC 1424 NE 155th St #206, Shoreline Langley/Island County, WA, United States, 98260 Contact No. 206-930-7780

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