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{"id":464,"date":"2013-03-11T12:17:43","date_gmt":"2013-03-11T17:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithonthecouch\/?p=464"},"modified":"2013-03-11T12:17:43","modified_gmt":"2013-03-11T17:17:43","slug":"40-day-to-a-better-marriage-monday-311-4-steps-to-becoming-a-mindful-spouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithonthecouch\/2013\/03\/40-day-to-a-better-marriage-monday-311-4-steps-to-becoming-a-mindful-spouse\/","title":{"rendered":"40 Day to A Better Marriage, Monday 3\/11: 4 Steps to Becoming a Mindful Spouse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a>A good marriage is a mindful marriage.\u00a0 Today, I\u2019m encouraging you to do something small to cultivate a spirit of mindfulness\u00a0 in your marriage.\u00a0 Step one?\u00a0 Read this Faith on the Couch post on what mindfulness is and how it can be a blessing to you life.\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n

Step Two:\u00a0 Think about the way you react to your spouse.\u00a0 Choose one of those less pleasant reactions and ask yourself how you would like to respond instead.\u00a0 Assume that you would<\/em> feel just as irritated, annoyed, or frustrated as ever, but you could<\/em> choose to channel that negative emotion into a healthier, more compassionate response.\u00a0 What would that response be.<\/p>\n

Step Three:\u00a0 Imagine yourself successfully doing this new thing.\u00a0 Ask God for the grace to follow through.<\/p>\n

Step Four:\u00a0 Keep practicing.\u00a0 Mastering your reactions takes time, but the effort will result in a better you and a better marriage.\u00a0 Keep trying and refining your effort in prayer.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s ok to get irritated with your spouse sometimes, but being mindful about how we respond when we\u2019re irritated can spell the difference between being a marriage master\u2026or a marriage disaster.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014For the next 40 days, M2L will offer a tip-a-day for improving your marriage. For more help creating an exceptional marriage, contact the Pastoral Solutions Institute to learn more about Catholic tele-counseling services<\/a>. 740-266-6461.\u00a0 And Check out more great marriage-building ideas in For Better\u2026FOREVER!\u00a0 A Catholic Guide to Lifelong Marriage.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"