Ideas for returning to each other.
Browse the Journal.
Search for something specific, or browse by format and topic.
Searches titles, descriptions, topics, categories, and the full text of every published Journal piece.
More topics
Communication
Clearer conversations, better questions, and fewer guessing games when everyday communication gets tangled.
Search the Journal
Results from across all published Essays and Stories.
Stop Trying to Win the Argument You’re Both Losing
Sometimes the argument stops being about solving the problem and quietly becomes about proving who is right. Here’s how couples can disagree honestly, hold their ground when needed, and still remember they are arguing with someone they love—not opposing counsel.
EP 6: Sam Wants Sex. Nina Wants Sleep.
Sam wants sex at night. Nina would prefer that he stop waiting until she has used up nearly all available humanity. What starts as a timing problem reveals years of unspoken assumptions about desire, initiation, pleasure, and what neither of them quite knew how to say.
We Love Each Other. So Why Does Sex Feel So Complicated?
You can love your spouse, be attracted to them, and still discover that sex comes with different desires, timing, expectations, insecurities, histories, and unspoken rules. Here’s why married sex can get complicated—and how couples can make it safer to talk about what they actually need.
The Budget Is Probably Not the Real Problem
Couples can argue about groceries, savings, subscriptions, and the mysterious disappearance of money at Target—but the numbers are often carrying something bigger. Here’s how to talk about the safety, freedom, fairness, values, and trust hiding underneath the budget.
When Your Spouse Wants Comfort and You Bring a PowerPoint
Sometimes your spouse needs a solution. Sometimes they need you to sit beside them and agree that today was awful. Learning the difference can change the way couples support each other.
EP 3: Eli Said “I’m Fine.” Naomi Believed Him.
Eli says he’s fine. Naomi makes the apparently reckless decision to believe him. What follows is a mildly ridiculous evening of sighs, hidden meanings, family interference, and one important discovery: being deeply known is not the same thing as being magically readable.
Your Spouse Is Not a Mind Reader. Unfortunately.
We want our spouse to know us deeply—but sometimes “you should just know” turns love into a guessing game. Here’s why clearer communication can actually make marriage feel more, not less, intimate.
EP 2: Grace Has Been Ready Since 6:22. Andre Is Looking for His Other Shoe
Grace has been ready since 6:22. Andre is still taking out the trash, helping a child find a water bottle, and—somehow—missing one shoe. What looks like a fight about being late turns into a funny, tender lesson about patience, consideration, and learning not to turn every difference into a verdict on the person you love.
EP 1: Marcus Needs Space. Tasha Needs an Answer.
Marcus needs a little space. Tasha needs to know whether “later” means twenty minutes or next Tuesday. One ordinary Tuesday night becomes a funny, tender lesson in how to step away without leaving the person you love behind.
When One of You Wants to Talk and the Other Needs Space
One spouse wants to talk it out now. The other needs room to breathe. Neither need is automatically wrong—but couples need a way to take space without turning it into abandonment.