people meet with different pressing needs. Dean, exhausted and drained, desires time alone to decompress from the pressures of his day. Kathy also burned out by that time of the day from the many demands from her family, wants Dean to help her with the children. She is also desperately wantingDo you sometimes feel overwhelmed and want to hide from your loved ones? Are you finding yourself even starting arguments, having an accident, or becoming ill so that you can have some time alone? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a constructive way to have that need met?

As a Marriage, Family Therapist, I have heard the cry for alone time from many clients. Especially in these busy times, it is very important to have a way to satisfy that need, and not at the expense of others or your body.

For example, Dean and Kathy, who were in my office for marriage counseling, were complaining to me about their frequent yelling bouts. When I asked them the time of the day that most of their arguments occurred, they replied, “We have a fight practically every evening when Dean comes home from work.”

In their common scenario, Dean would arrive home around 6:30 pm., after what he described as a stressful day at the office and on the road in rush hour traffic. Kathy would greet him at the door, stressed from a full day of looking after their two active young children, and their dog and cat.

Fiasco is a good way to describe what happens when two stressful people meet with different pressing needs. Dean, exhausted and drained, desires time alone to decompress from the pressures of his day. Kathy also burned out by that time of the day from the many demands from her family, wants Dean to help her with the children. She is also desperately wanting

mily Therapist, I have heard the cry for alone time from many clients. Especially in these busy times, it is very important to have a way to satisfy that need, and not at the expense of others or your body.

For example, Dean and Kathy, who were in my office for marriage counseling, were complaining to me about their frequent yelling bouts. When I asked them the time of the day that most of their arguments occurred, they replied, “We have a fight practically every evening when Dean comes home from work.”

In their common scenario, Dean would arrive home around 6:30 pm., after what he described as a stressful day at the office and on the road in rush hour traffic. Kathy would greet him at the door, stressed from a full day of looking after their two active young children, and their dog and cat.

Fiasco is a good way to describe what happens when two stressful people meet with different pressing needs. Dean, exhausted and drained, desires time alone to decompress from the pressures of his day. Kathy also burned out by that time of the day from the many demands from her family, wants Dean to help her with the children. She is also desperately wanting

omplaining to me about their frequent yelling bouts. When I asked them the time of the day that most of their arguments occurred, they replied, “We have a fight practically every evening when Dean comes home from work.”

In their common scenario, Dean would arrive home around 6:30 pm., after what he described as a stressful day at the office and on the road in rush hour traffic. Kathy would greet him at the door, stressed from a full day of looking after their two active young children, and their dog and cat.

Fiasco is a good way to describe what happens when two stressful people meet with different pressing needs. Dean, exhausted and drained, desires time alone to decompress from the pressures of his day. Kathy also burned out by that time of the day from the many demands from her family, wants Dean to help her with the children. She is also desperately wanting

er what he described as a stressful day at the office and on the road in rush hour traffic. Kathy would greet him at the door, stressed from a full day of looking after their two active young children, and their dog and cat.

Fiasco is a good way to describe what happens when two stressful people meet with different pressing needs. Dean, exhausted and drained, desires time alone to decompress from the pressures of his day. Kathy also burned out by that time of the day from the many demands from her family, wants Dean to help her with the children. She is also desperately wanting

people meet with different pressing needs. Dean, exhausted and drained, desires time alone to decompress from the pressures of his day. Kathy also burned out by that time of the day from the many demands from her family, wants Dean to help her with the children. She is also desperately wanting to speak to an adult, but she is frustrated because Dean is not listening.

To help them resolve their problem, I suggested to Kathy that she take at least twenty minutes for herself before Dean comes home. Then she would be better able to be relaxed and undemanding at that crucial time.

Then I told Dean that it would be a good idea for him to briefly greet his family and then to spend at least twenty minutes alone to regain his composure. Dean loved the idea and decided to hide in the bedroom, to change his clothes and to stretch out on his bed while listening to soothing music.

Both Kathy and Dean were able to hear how each other felt during the twilight hours. With understanding and compassion, they were ready to solve their problem. By the end of the counseling session, Kathy and Dean were both feeling acknowledged and satisfied with the plan.

When the couple returned the following week they were very excited with the results. Kathy and Dean realized that they mistakenly believed that the other person did not care about them. Now they accepted the truth that they deeply cared about each other and just needed some space.

The lovin