4 Ways to Survive theHard Times and Come Out Closer
By Sharon Rivkin
www.sharonrivkin.com
Isit possible for something good to come out of the economic downturn?Can a relationship, even one that may be experiencing its own hardtimes, come out better for surviving the hard times?nbsp; Here aresome ways to use the recession to your benefit:
Back to Basics.nbsp; View this asan opportunity to get back to the basics.nbsp; We live in such a busyworld, accomplishing a lot, but losing touch with our partner, family,and friends.nbsp; When we don#146;t have a lot of money to spend on"activities," we have an opportunity to get closer and talk to oneanother. Re-learn the value of family time.nbsp; Rather than everyonegoing in different directions, create simple activities with yourfamily.nbsp; Instead of going out to eat, cook at home with your kids,have a picnic and bring along the frisbee, or take a long walk andenjoy the fresh air.nbsp; Play cards or games#133;all the things we usedto do before video games and TV shows invaded family time.
Keep it Simple.nbsp; When theeconomy is good, you have more money.nbsp; More dollars in your pocketallows you the freedom to distract yourself with more activities andopportunities to do things separately.nbsp; This may cause you andyour partner to drift apart.nbsp; Because our wallets are slimmer nowand we#146;re staying home more, this gives us the chance to sit still,slow our lives down, and start dealing with the unaddressed issues ofour relationship.nbsp; By keeping it simple and going back to talkingto each other, you have a chance of getting closer and reviving thespark that drew you together in the first place.
Reevalute.nbsp; Now's the time toreevaluate our relationship to money.nbsp; What are we spending ourmoney on that we really don't NEED?nbsp; In flourishing economictimes, it#146;s easy to get carried away and confuse our wants and ourneeds.nbsp; This is the time to differentiate the two. Talk with yourpartner about ways to pare down.nbsp; Use this as an opportunity toteam up and work together on ways to save money. You#146;ll both feelbetter with a plan of action.
Finish, Rather than Start. Use thisas a time to look at the loose ends in your environment.nbsp; Is therea project you could finish together that doesn't cost a lot?nbsp; Whenthe economy is good, we tend to start a lot of things without finishingthem.nbsp; Get creative and save money by trading weekends withfriends. Get your buddies together and alternate weekends by helpingone another with household projects.nbsp; This week at my house, nextweek at yours.nbsp; Then wrap up the day with a simple barbeque andgood company.
We come from a culture of doingand achieving, with less emphasis on slowing down and enjoying thesimple things that life offers.nbsp; The recession gives us anopportunity to go inward, instead of outward, to think about what we'regrateful for and what we appreciate, and just how lucky we are to bealive.nbsp; Ultimately, we want closeness and companionship, and nowis the opportunity to cultivate what#146;s really important.
Relationship and Conflict Resolution Expert, Sharon M. Rivkin, M.A., M.F.T.,author of The First Argument: Cuttingto the Root of Intimate Conflict, helps hundreds of couplesbreak the argument cycle with her proven, groundbreaking technique thatresolves the most painful issues, stops repetitive conflict, savesrelationships, and puts the love back in your marriage.nbsp; Sharonhas been featured in O: The Oprah Magazine, Reader#146;s Digest, and majorwebsites such as YahooPersonals, DrLaura.com, Hitchedmag.com,SheKnow.com, and many others.nbsp; Visit Sharon at
www.sharonrivkin.com
. Permissiongranted for useon DrLaura.com.
