Marriage Boundaries That Say Yes!

It’s true that we need boundaries in today's world…

But it’s also true that sometimes as humans we can take that so far that we isolate ourselves or our nuclear families until we’re lonely.

Loneliness and isolation can lead to a grandiose self-focus, cause us to miss out on the gifts of the whole spectrum of the community, or worse, compel us to manage our sorrow through addiction or other anti-social behaviors...

That’s why whenever we talk about boundaries, we want to not only remember but emphasize the goal of a healthy community.

We want to know how to work with different or even difficult people who have hurt us, and in most cases, we know it's important to try to stay away from saying a person is toxic but that a behavior or relationship style is toxic.

I’m so happy we get to flesh all of this and more out with a leading boundaries expert of today, Dr. Alison Cook, PhD on this show.

Dr. Cook comes highly recommended by so many experts, including Lysa TerKeurst and even Dr. John Townsend, who co-authored the most famous boundaries book of all time.

After reading her book, "The Best of You: Break Free from Painful Patterns, Mend Your Past, and Discover Your True Self in God" and interviewing her on this show, I can see why.

Dr. Cook, Enneagram 3 (3-8 Glow) teaches us from the “yes” perspective so we can move into a safe but social relationship versus a counterdependency (a term you can learn about on this show!).

We especially lean into the fact that at some point, even if you’re struggling as part of the younger generation now, one day you’ll be the in-law and hoping your relatives will find ways to relate healthily to you when you’re on the other side!

This is a topic and an episode you definitely don’t want to miss as it’s packed with tips and I’m so very glad for that fact so you don’t miss a beat of your time with your people, near and far, young and old alike! If you want free marriage E + M worksheets from E + M, click here!