Sometimes, and maybe more than sometimes, the most important conversations with loved ones are those we try hardest to avoid.
Before you know it, months or even years can pass without confiding what really matters with the people in our lives who matter most.
It’s not easy sustaining, let alone nurturing, deep love and passion in a relationship when we can’t, don’t or won’t talk about the issues that are important to us.
For many thousands of people who have participated in PAIRS classes over the past 30 years, having conversations that matter becomes a normal part of life and love, even when they are conversations about differences, concerns and the very normal challenges that arise in close relationships.
PAIRS Foundation’s series of Relationship Apps are designed for the millions of others who haven’t and perhaps can’t attend a PAIRS relationship education class in person. They’re designed to guide you, from the privacy and safety of your home, to think about issues that matter and confide your thoughts, feelings and requests with the significant others with whom you share your life.
Here’s an overview of PAIRS Apps that could be helpful to you:
- PAIRS DTR App: Five steps to do in 15-20 minutes, ideally once a day, to water the garden of the relationships that matter most to you.
- PAIRS Talking Tips App: Ten steps to confide about a behavior that’s upsetting to you and ask for what you want instead.
- PAIRS Love Bank App: Consider 50 actions that may or may not be important to you. Rate them and share them to build a high balance in your relationship account.
- PAIRS Relationship Pleasure App: How strong is your relationship in six areas that matter most? Consider what you’re doing (or not) to strengthen each area.
- PAIRS Five Questions App: When relationships go through difficult periods, here are five questions to consider and share to begin figuring out what you’re asking for and what’s possible.
For much of the past 20 years, my commitment has been to make PAIRS research-validated, practical, usable skills available to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Yesterday, the first day we released our new PAIRS web-based relationship building apps, thousands of people visited from around the world to try them out.
While we will eventually have to charge a small fee for access to the apps, for the time being, they are available for free from the PAIRS website. I hope you’ll stop by, pick one or more to try, and discover what PAIRS can contribute to your life.
Seth Eisenberg is President/CEO of the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation in Hollywood, Florida, an industry leader in marriage and relationship education since 1983.