Episode 39: Protecting your relationship under stress with Nicola Foster

An extremely helpful and empowering interview with Nicola Foster, relationship and intimacy therapist and coach. Nicola has created a Relationship Survival Guide for Lovers in Lockdown. I thought here was a woman I just had to get on the podcast! Even the best of relationships have been under strain in the crazy condition of the pandemic. There is lots of great advice here and you’ll find a link to the guide below.

We talk about:

• The biggest issues 
• Nicola’s been seeing recently that prompted her to create the guide
• The relationship resilience pyramid
• The importance of looking after ourselves
• The importance of laughter and having fun
• The rise of TikTok
• The big mistakes we can make in our relationships especially when under stress
• How to avoid flash points of irritation when you’re together a lot with little space to escape
• How we can all get better at communication
• Giving your partner space and not needing to fix their issues
• Looking for the positive and appreciating your intimate partner
• The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work by Dr John Gottman
• The importance of listening for bids for attention
• The four relationship horsemen
• A useful tool – the daily check-in
• How we can reduce conflict if it exists or deal with any underlying issues if conflict is hidden
• What Nicola means by ‘clean’ anger
• Bringing back intimacy and some exercises to help do that

And more!

Click here to read a summary transcription of this podcast episode.

Resources:

Mating in Captivity: How to keep desire and passion alive in long-term relationships

The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work

Passionate Marriage

Pillow Talk – Cards for intimate conversations

Find out more about Nicola:

Website: nicolafostercoaching.com | Survival Guide for Lovers in Lockdown

Linkedin | Facebook | Twitter

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