Relationship problems can come from any number of sources – cheating, fighting, lying, preferring to spend time with your friends rather than your spouse. But when I began my work as the Houston marriage counselor, I never thought that a boyfriend would be complaining that his girlfriend had a better relationship with her phone, or a wife “not seeing” her husband because of video games.
We live in a technologically marvelous time. But with instant access to the internet and other forms of entertainment 24/7 for a lot of us, it can sometimes be difficult to unplug. In fact, we often get so used to the need to update our status and check our email, or the ability to play games and read instantaneous news whenever we want while moving through our daily lives that we don’t even realize how often we’re doing it.
Houston Marriage Counselor: Don’t Choose Technology over Your Partner
Where this becomes a problem in relationships is when one partner can’t put his or her phone down when the couple is supposed to be trying to decompress after a long day. Or if a partner decompresses by immediately turning on the game console when they get home and allowing themselves to get immersed in the latest big-budget deathmatch for hours.
It’s pretty difficult to connect with each other when one of you is laser focused on the visceral thrills of an online shooter or distracted by the need to “check in” at the restaurant or post to everyone but your significant other about how your day went. These are the kinds of things that lead to marriage problems.
If you are having trouble talking about marriage problems related to technology, I encourage you to schedule an appointment to meet with me, the Houston marriage counselor, for help.
UPCOMING EVENT: Group Therapy groups are forming for the week of March 13th: Couples, Men, and High School Students (coed). For specifics, please contact Damian Duplechain, Certified Group Psychotherapist.
