The Spark Blog
Category: Couples
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Avoiding Christmas Debt this year
Christmas is an expensive time of year for all of us as we buy presents, decorate our homes and enjoy nights out. Costs can soon add up and Christmas debt is a significant problem with 1 in 4 adults in the UK feeling pressured into overspending at Christmas. Loans, credit cards and Christmas debt Many…
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![Why We Fear Change in Relationships]()
Why We Fear Change in Relationships
‘There is nothing permanent except change’. Heraclitus This particular Greek philosopher had life pegged some 2,500 years ago: change is inevitable. The world around us changes, as do we as life progresses. Aside from the physical aspects of ageing, over time we evolve in our attitudes, beliefs and priorities. Change can lead to new opportunities,…
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![Male Infertility and Mental Health]()
Male Infertility and Mental Health
Men are in general pretty bad at talking about their feelings. They are taught from their earliest years – both explicitly and implicitly – to hold emotions in. Never cry, get on with it and barely whisper about what is upsetting you. When it comes to male infertility, the whisper typically fades to complete silence.…
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![The Need for Emotional First Aid]()
The Need for Emotional First Aid
When we experience aches, pains or a chesty cough where do we head? Straight to our local doctor of course. When it comes to emotional pain – guilt, loss, loneliness – what do we do? Most of the time we try to sort it ourselves. We (try to) keep calm and carry on. Instead of…
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![Dementia and Its Impact on Relationships]()
Dementia and Its Impact on Relationships
According to the Alzheimer’s Society around 900,000 people in the UK are living with dementia. The impact of dementia on sufferers and their carers is deeply upsetting. In particular the effect on their relationship is a very emotionally and mentally painful feature of this illness. The symptoms of dementia and the inevitable loss of the…
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![Male Postnatal Depression is Real]()
Male Postnatal Depression is Real
Male postnatal depression has long been considered in the same terms as man flu. Reactions can vary from a raised eyebrow to thinly veiled contempt when the subject is broached. Familiar gender stereotypes entrench the belief that a dad ‘can’t get’ postnatal depression because of their limited role in pregnancy, childbirth and the early months…
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![Life Hacks for Mental Health – Part 3]()
Life Hacks for Mental Health – Part 3
In the final part of our life hacks series we are looking at how doing what you are good at, keeping in touch and asking for help can set you on the path to good mental health. Catch up on part 1 and part 2 of the life hacks series. 7. Do things you are…
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![Bending the Truth in Relationships]()
Bending the Truth in Relationships
In a society increasingly dominated by ‘alternative facts’ it is beginning to feel like bending the truth is replacing good, old-fashioned honesty. More alarming is the implied acceptance that bending the truth or even lying outright no longer carries with it consequences. “People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or…
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![Life Hacks for Mental Health – Part 2]()
Life Hacks for Mental Health – Part 2
Welcome to part 2 of The Spark’s life hacks for mental health series. This time we are looking at how getting active, putting the cork back in the bottle and looking out for others can boost mental health. Catch up on part 1 of the life hacks series – covering healthy eating, slowing life down…
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