Making Marriage Easier with Arlene Pellicane | Episode 246

Have you heard some variation of this before? 

“Marriage is hard. It’s unfair. One of you will always pull more weight. Marriage doesn’t make you happy; it makes you miserable.” 

I’d like to push back against that pessimistic mindset. Yes, it’s true that marriage can be challenging—but it can also be one of the greatest relationships you will experience!

Marriage is certainly not easy, but it can be easier if we approach it the right way. Joining us to share her insights on doing just this is my friend, Arlene Pellicane. Arlene is a speaker, host of the Happy Home podcast, and author of several books including Parents Rising, Screen Kids, and Making Marriage Easier. Arlene has been featured on the Today Show, Fox & Friends, the Wall Street Journal, and Focus on the Family.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • The four decisions that deeply impacted Arlene’s marriage
  • Why you should silence your phone while spending time with your spouse
  • The benefits of trying something new together
  • And more!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Arlene, and she has so many great tips on how to make marriage easier.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

My Key Takeaways:

1) Create meaningful rhythms for how you live and love together. Do you always give each other a kiss goodbye in the morning? Do you make it a point to eat dinner at the table without screens? How do you spend your time after the kids are in bed? Every couple discovers their own unique ways of prioritizing connection amidst the busyness of daily life. For example, you may decide that you want to carve out an hour every Saturday to connect about the week ahead. Whatever the habit may be, the key is to build and maintain rhythms that feel meaningful to you.

2) Try to always listen in order to understand. Too often, we immediately react or jump to get our two cents in when conversing with our spouse. However, an important communication principle is to be curious and not furious. This means that you take the time to ask questions about why your spouse thinks a certain way, has a certain opinion, or responded the way they did. We can avoid unnecessary arguments by seeking to understand before we respond.

3) Don’t be a spectator in your marriage. Life can get so busy. There’s work, housekeeping, church, friendships, raising kids, and more. Sometimes, it may feel like you hardly have a spare moment at all! However, it’s so important to find activities you and your spouse can enjoy together and make time for them—things that help you reconnect and actively engage, rather than just passively drifting through your relationship. When your kids grow up and leave the house, your relationship will be so much stronger if you’ve already built the habit of enjoying activities together. Arlene has a list of date ideas on her website you can use to take an active role in your marriage no matter what stage of life you are in.

About Arlene:

Arlene Pellicane is a speaker, host of the Happy Home podcast, and author of several books including Parents Rising, Screen Kids, and Making Marriage Easier. Arlene has been featured on the Today Show, Fox & Friends, the Wall Street Journal, and Focus on the Family. Arlene lives in San Diego with her husband, James, and their three children.

 

 

 

 

Would you like to be notified by email when a new No More Perfect Podcast episode releases? Just fill in your name and email and we’ll make sure you’re in the know!

 

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *