Living With A Chronically Ill Spouse

One of the greatest challenges with having a spouse with a chronic illness such as Alzheimer's or some other malady, is the resentment you feel toward your spouse. You remember the good times with your spouse and struggle with the grief, loss and anger you feel, and subsequent guilt for having those feelings. Your friends offer platitudes like 'For better or for worse,' but you never imagined you'd really have to live out those words. Getting away from your mate is often the only relief you get from the emotional weight of caregiving, but the ensuing guilt and reminder of the immense loss sometimes don't seem worth the effort. Yet, giving yourself permission to get away and enjoy yourself with friends will help you maintain your new life. Maintaining hobbies and other nourishing activities are critical to keeping your mental health. You cannot care for others unless you completely care for yourself first.

Celebrity Marriages

The odds of staying married are 50/ 50 at best. Add pressures from being a celebrity and your odds decrease dramatically. What is happening here? First, consider the motivations for many celebrity marriages. As the commercial says, 'Image is everything.' Celebrities are obsessed with image, and so their choice of life-mates is colored with questionable motivations. Second, consider the pressures of celebrity marriages. Pressures to look good, be popular, be 'on' all the time, not to mention frenetic schedules. Normalcy and celebrity marriage is an oxymoron. Finally, how is a celebrity couple supposed to work on their marriage? We all know marriage takes tremendous commitment, focus and passionate connection, commodities in short supply in Hollywood. So, I'm not saying Hollywood couples are doomed, but I do say they need to put the work into their relationship just like you and me—if not more! They must make repairs to their marriage when needed, and know when they need to call for help!

Understanding Emotional Abuse