Marriage, today, is a very long partnership. Half a century or more, if you do it in your 20’s and you’re lucky enough to live out the average lifespan in the USA: 77.

When I think about the length of that intended commitment, I wonder how reasonable it is that we expect anyone to make it.

I’m going to use a very unromantic analogy here:

Making a long-term commitment can be a little like a teacher who gets tenure.

You just don’t try as hard. Because you don’t have to. You’ve got job security.

There’s no meaningful annual review because you know they can’t fire you.

And with marriage, the emphasis is on honoring the commitment. Not on how each of you shows up.

Over the years, I have often thought that we’d be better quality partners if our commitments were shorter. Time-limited.

If, instead of promising forever, we made micro-commitments. If we had marriages.

3 years. 5 years. Pick your interval. That way there’s an incentive to keep working at it. To keep trying.

Because both partners know that there’s a date by when they’ll meet to reevaluate how happy they are. How compatible they still are.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a micro-marriage is and how it differs from a traditional marriage.
• The psychological benefits of a micro-marriage.
• How to suggest a micro-marriage to your partner if you’re so inclined.

AND… for the critics who would judge me for proposing micro-marriages, I explain the ways in which micro-marriages already exist in society today. So there. 😉

Xxoo Darcy

REFERENCES

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/13229400.2021.1952889?needAccess=true

https://ri.urd.ac.ir/article_113827.html

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Kdsb-2fR6iIWr8zrw3L6mdVPw9GvDCA/view

https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/jlfst10&div=21&id=&page=

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11207

Link to VIA Survey Character Strengths here

CREDITS

This episode of “We Need To Talk With Dr. Darcy Sterling” was produced by Darcy Sterling. Editing and sound engineering by Bart Migal. Our theme music is by Trending Music. Special thanks to Amanda Cristiani, Stephanie Sterling and Preston Smith. “We Need To Talk With Dr. Darcy Sterling” is a Sterling Standard Production.

DISCLAIMER

#LoveAndMarriage #MicroMarriages #ModernMarriage #MicroWedding

#MarriageAdvice #MarriagePodcast #Relationships #RelationshipPodcast #RelationshipAdvice

#RealTalkRelationships #WeNeedToTalkWithDrDarcy #Therapy

#DrDarcySterling #DrDarcy

Instagram:@drdarcysterling

Facebook:Dr.Darcy Sterling

Tik Tok:@doctordarcysterling

Twitter:@DrDarcySterling

YouTube:@DarcySterling

Threads:@drdarcysterling

Watch this episode here on YouTube.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I love a good redemption story.

And few things epitomize redemption better than successful recovery from addiction.

One of the fundamental aspects to recovery is a notion that you have to hit rock bottom to realize you are no longer a recreational user who has any control over how much, when, and where you use.

But what is it about needing to reach a breaking point in order to decide, once and for all, that you’re done using substances?

Joining me in this discussion is Dr. Tamir Aldad, an addiction psychiatrist and CEO of Mindful Care.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “rock bottom” is a thing in addiction — and how we all play a role in that.
• The new trend of harm reduction treatment versus complete abstinence — and why it works.
• The hardest drug to come off of. The answer may surprise you!

Xxoo Darcy

CREDITS

This episode of “We Need To Talk With Dr. Darcy Sterling” was produced by Darcy Sterling. Editing and sound engineering by Bart Migal. Our theme music is by Trending Music. Special thanks to Amanda Cristiani, Stephanie Sterling and Preston Smith. “We Need To Talk With Dr. Darcy Sterling” is a Sterling Standard Production.

This episode is dedicated to Kenny, with love.

DISCLAIMER

#Addiction #Recovery #AddictionRecovery #SoberLiving #Sobriety #SoberCommunity #EndStigma #Sober #HarmReduction #SoberLife

#AddictionAwareness #SoberSupport #MentalHealthMatters #OneDayAtATime #Relationships #RelationshipPodcast #RelationshipPodcasts

#RelationshipAdvice #RelationshipExperts #WeNeedToTalkWithDrDarcy #Therapy #CouplesCounseling #CouplesTherapy #DrDarcySterling

#DoctorDarcySterling #DrDarcy

Instagram:@drdarcysterling

Facebook:Dr.Darcy Sterling

Tik Tok:@doctordarcysterling

Twitter:@DrDarcySterling

YouTube:@DarcySterling

Threads:@drdarcysterling

Watch this episode here on YouTube.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I keep secrets for a living. That’s more or less what a therapist does.

But in my personal life, I don’t want anything to do with them.

I don’t find delight in them whatsoever.

To me, they’re an imposition.

Humans are hardwired to feel valued when someone confides in us.

It scratches an evolutionary itch that can leave us feeling bonded to the person who shared the secret.

But that’s only the case when the secret doesn’t directly impact you.

There’s an old expression: “You’re only as sick as your secrets.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between being “private” and keeping a secret.
• The types of secrets that are most damaging to your mental health.
• The surprising amount of secrets the average person keeps.

AND… I share the reason why I refuse to be on the receiving end of secrets in my personal life.

Xxoo Darcy

REFERENCES

Categories of secrets

The Bright Side of Secrecy: The Energizing Effect of Positive Secrets

It takes two (or more): The social nature of secrets

What you don't know might hurt me: Keeping secrets in interpersonal relationships

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/09/hidden-world-secrets

https://www.columbia.edu/~ms4992/secrets/keepingsecrets.html

CREDITS

This episode of “We Need To Talk With Dr. Darcy Sterling” was produced by Darcy Sterling. Editing and sound engineering by Bart Migal. Our theme music is by Trending Music. Special thanks to Amanda Cristiani, Stephanie Sterling and Preston Smith. “We Need To Talk With Dr. Darcy Sterling” is a Sterling Standard Production.

DISCLAIMER

#Dating #DatingTips #RelationshipGoals #DatingAdvice #Relationships #RelationshipPodcast #RelationshipPodcasts #RelationshipAdvice

#RelationshipExperts #RealTalkRelationships #Secrets #Secret #FamilySecret #FamilySecrets #PodcastLove #WeNeedToTalkWithDrDarcy

#Therapy #CouplesCounseling #CouplesTherapy #DrDarcySterling #DoctorDarcySterling #DrDarcy

Instagram:@drdarcysterling

Facebook:Dr.Darcy Sterling

Tik Tok:@doctordarcysterling

Twitter:@DrDarcySterling

YouTube:@DarcySterling

Threads:@drdarcysterling

Watch this episode here on YouTube.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.