By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer
Since it’s the week of love and romance, I thought I’d add another book recommendation. Years ago someone told me about this book, The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. It helped me better understand that everyone ha a different approach to expressing their love and caring for another person. In my Valentines Day post, I talked about how some people feel love when you take care of them others feel loved when you spend money on them. What does this have to do with Wellness? Think about the stress you have when you think you are showing your love and your partner thinks you are being insensitive. All because you don’t understand each others styles of showing affection and care. Stress can cause a lot of health issues. So, giving you tools to reduce stress is part of my goal!
If you are in the perfect relationship and understand you partner 100% or even 90%, kudos! For the rest of the population, though, cultural differences, family experiences and personal history can affect how we view acts of love. This book is easy to read and insightful. Give it a read and let me know what you think of it!
Check out the book on Amazon here: The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts
Here is what Amazon has to say about this book:
Unhappiness in marriage often has a simple root cause: we speak different love languages, believes Dr. Gary Chapman. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. In a friendly, often humorous style, he unpacks each one. Some husbands or wives may crave focused attention; another needs regular praise. Gifts are highly important to one spouse, while another sees fixing a leaky faucet, ironing a shirt, or cooking a meal as filling their “love tank.” Some partners might find physical touch makes them feel valued: holding hands, giving back rubs, and sexual contact. Chapman illustrates each love language with real-life examples from his counseling practice. How do you discover your spouse’s – and your own – love language? Chapman’s short questionnaires are one of several ways to find out.
Related articles
- Wrong gift can derail romance (upi.com)
- The Language of Love (ponderingpastor.blogspot.com)
- 5 Love Languages, 7 Days, 1 Couple (webmd.com)
- Marriage repair: Couples who restored their own relationships now helping renew others (commercialappeal.com)
- Book Review: Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman (seattlepi.com)
- Body Language of Love (socyberty.com)
- RICHARD P. HIMMER | What is Your Love Language? (kitsapsun.com)
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