Soulmate Connection
Believing in the existence of soulmates is like believing in God. We don’t know, but there is a definite sense that two people can be connected in a way that goes beyond the here and now. It is this sense…
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Author Archive: Colette Duval
Fear of Commitment
I have been married a long time, but I often wonder if I had gotten through the last twenty yearswithout a constant sense that there was always more to come !Not that I was ever on the lookout for someone…
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What is a Passive Aggressive Friendship and how to Deal with it
September 13, 2015 Friends and Peers
‘ Surround yourself with people who make you feel good and bring out the best in you!’ It sounds like utterly sensible, rational, common sense advice. Unfortunately friendships don’t develop because we rationally and sensibly choose who will be our…
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Anatomy of a Codependent Relationship
The term ‘ codependency’ is usually used to describe a relationship where one or both partners have say and addiction, and one person enables the other to continue this behaviour despite negative consequences.On a subconscious level this happens because there…
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Marriage Trends why Couples Aren’t Tying the Knot
August 13, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
‘ We don’t need a piece of paper to feel we are married !’– A lot of couples consider themselves married, ie they have made a not -so -public commitment to each other- and simply do not see the point…
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When you Love two People at once
As human beings, we have an infinite capacity to love, and just as well. Most of the time, the love we feel for a person fits neatly into accepted categories like ‘ maternal love’, ‘ sisterly / brotherly love’, ‘…
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Friendship Issues Advice
June 7, 2015 Friends and Peers
‘ The Blues’ can be anything from a vague feeling of sadness, lethargy, fatigue with no obvious identifiable cause.Or it can be a more profound feeling of depression which impacts on your normal functioning. There are a few simple rules…
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How to Complain Effectively
I am German, so I know all about complaining. Myself I find complaining very uncomfortable,perhaps because I remember too many situations where my fellow countrymen made me cringe with embarrassment.Only a few weeks back I overheard – from the safety…
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One Night Stands
Not wanting to come from a judgmental angle and question the merits of one -night stands per se, I will however question the true success rate of one- night stands. Clearly , one -night -stands have been around as long…
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Should Couples Live together before getting Married – Yes
April 10, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
The question is really ‘how well should you know a person before making a commitment of any sort’? There is no evidence on either side of the argument that suggests one has the edge over the other. Nearly half of…
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Life Support should the Wishes of Family Precedence Patients right Relieve – No
February 19, 2015 Crisis Support
God forbid I will ever find myself in a situation where I am asked either choose to end a loved ones life or accept that person’s choice to end his own suffering.I don’t think it is morally wrong to do…
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Marriage should be a Sacred Institution between only a Woman and a Man – Disagree
In a perfectly black and white world full of neat compartments it would be helpful to this sense of neatness if men and woman only fell in love with each other. It would also be neat and tidy if heterosexual marriages would…
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Reasons for Choosing Cremation instead of Burial
January 23, 2015 Crisis Support
I can’t stand confined spaces ! And though I will in all probability be not aware of these when I am dead, the thought of first being laid out in a wooden box which has been fitted to my size…
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How to Deal with a Pushy Salesman
January 11, 2015 Communication
Over the years I had a few encounters with pushy salesmen, and my ability to deal with them definitely rates from an early cringe worthy and embarrassing ‘ ten’ to a recently lesser ‘ three’ or even an acceptable ‘two’.Perhaps…
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Do you believe in Love at first Sight – Yes
January 1, 2015 Relationships and Family - Other
The myth of love at first sight is the reason why too many people a)- rush into marriage, and b) declare with each subsequent new relationship that they have ‘ never , ever been in love like this before!’, and…
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Conflict Avoidance of Conflict Resolutions Communication Honesty Respect Resentment
September 4, 2014 Communication
Relationships that have passed the initial stages invariably come to a point where some form of conflict sets in. This is an absolutely normal part of any relationship which evolves and I dare say, is an essential part. Whether be…
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Should it be Compulsory for Couples to Sign a Prenuptial Agreement before – No
May 13, 2014 Marriage and Divorce
Its a sign of our times, isn’t it, that we should even consider this.I know that statistically half of all marriages end in divorce and many more are teetering at the edge.But imagine – no matter how many millions you…
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Tips for Coping with in Laws
It is true to say that your spouse comes as a package: If he or she doesn’t have children from a previous relationship – as is becoming increasingly common- they most probably have a set of parents who , from…
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