Connection with your partner is vital for your well-being and the well-being of the relationship. If you find that any of these suggestions are hard for you, then do some inner work to discover what is in the way.

The English language is very limited when it comes to words having to do with love -- we only have the one word. Having only one word can present a problem when it comes to understanding what someone is saying when they say "I love you."

All relationships have conflict. Conflicts are a part of life and can provide an opportunity for learning and growth -- if they are approached with caring for yourself and the other person.

Feeling fully seen, accepted, valued and cherished are really wonderful experiences, and these feelings can generate the kind of safety that leads to intimacy, spontaneity and aliveness in the relationship and in the bedroom.

"How do I know when I'm really in love?" "What does it mean to be in love?" "I think I'm in love, but then I have doubts." Such a big question! And we all wish there was an easy answer -- a formula we could follow to determine if we are in love.

Unless you are able to learn from and heal your fears, you may get stuck in this negative pattern. Love quickly vanishes in the face of this closed, protective behavior.

Valuing yourself can start by lovingly seeing the innocent child within you -- your essence. This is your true self, and may have been covered over by the fears and false beliefs of your ego-wounded self that you created as you grew up, to try to get love and avoid pain.

Why would someone make the choice to be miserable? Because it is often a way of getting attention and of attempting to get someone else to be responsible for them. If this is what you want, here is a roadmap to make sure you accomplish your goal!

The more you learn to love and value your unique essence, the less you will find yourself comparing yourself to others. There is only one you. You are incomparable!

All relationships have a system. Some work well and some don't. Since I have been working with relationships for the last 44 years, I've become very attuned to what kind of a system two people have between them.

In one of my free webinars -- one that focused on what it looks like to love yourself -- Grant asked the following question: "Isn't it selfish and pa...

In my work with couples, they may tell me that they had a big fight, and when I ask what they were fighting about, they often can't remember. The reason for this is that it's rarely the issue itself, but how they are dealing with the issue that creates the most problems.

Fear of rejection is a big issue for many people -- and it used to be for me, too. I used to be so worried about how others felt about me that I was often anxious in my interactions with them -- always trying to say and do the "right" thing so they would like me or at least think well of me.

Not experiencing loving connection as a child can lead to feeling a deep yearning in adulthood. Unfortunately, trying to get this connection from others, rather than learning to connect with ourselves and others, can lead to many personal and relationship problems.

Before I get into the importance of keeping your word, let's explore some of the reasons for not doing this. If you are a person who doesn't do what you say you will do, what is behind this behavior?

Our feelings are always informational -- a profound source of inner guidance. I encourage you to value your feelings and listen to what they are telling you, rather than ignoring and avoiding them.

Why is kindness linked with weakness? Is it possible to be kind as well as smart, successful and powerful? Are they mutually exclusive? Of course, the answer to the last question is "no" -- these qualities are not mutually exclusive at all.

We all know that being in love is one of the very best feelings in the world. When we fall in love, we often believe that our in-love feelings are going to last forever.

By doing your own inner work to become an emotionally responsible, kind and loving person with yourself and your partner, you can create a healthy, loving relationship!

All relationships inevitably experience conflict, as this is a part of life. It's how you manage conflict that determines whether it leads to deeper intimacy with a loved one, or to distance and disconnection.

Inner emptiness does not come from a lack of something external -- not even a lack of being loved by someone else. It comes from a lack of one thing only: a lack of awareness of the love that is the energy we live in.

The point C.S. Lewis makes in The Four Loves is that closing our heart to the risk of heartbreak creates a living hell. The truth is that while heartbreak is extremely painful, it is not nearly as painful as the hell we create for ourselves when we hold back loving out of our fear of getting hurt.

If you are looking for a committed relationship, you have a much better chance of creating a loving relationship if you are very clear on what you want and what is not tolerable to you

Your intent -- whether to control and avoid, or to love yourself and share your love with others -- is the main choice that can determine whether your holidays are stressful and lonely, or peaceful and fulfilling.

Through the years of my work to help people heal, I've discovered some powerful tools that I hope will help some you who are suffering from Sandy.