NURTURING MARRIAGE®
  • About
    • Us
    • Our Foundational Analogy
    • What We Believe
    • Meet Our Contributors
    • Featured On...
  • 6 Pillars to Nurturing Marriage
    • The Little Things
    • Date Night
    • Intimacy
    • Values to Live By
    • Routines and Rituals
    • Conflict Resolution
  • More
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Money Matters
    • Featured Couples
    • On a Lighter Note
  • BUY OUR BOOKS
    • LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND: A CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE DEVOTIONAL
    • NURTURE
  • Coaching Services
  • Contact Us
    • Shareable Quotes
    • Become a Contributor
    • Speaking Engagements
    • Partner with Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Join the Community >
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Nurturing Marriage Conversations Facebook Group

Taking Your Spouse's Emotional Temperature

2/26/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
Call it sensitivity, call it being "in touch," call it whatever you want - this small action will make a massive difference in the quality of your marriage.  It's pretty self-explanatory. If you want to be close to your spouse, you should take your their emotional temperature, daily. 
Picture
Play (Emotional) Doctor 

Doctors greet patients (for well or sick visits) by asking questions, taking vital signs, (including a temperature), and making sure that their patients are okay.  As husband and wife, it would be wise to play the role of emotional doctor for your spouse from time to time. 

If yours is a typical marriage,  you and your spouse are probably away from each other for a large portion of the day.  If this is the case, it is important to take your spouse's emotional temperature once you are reunited. 

Just as the body is good at keeping its temperature in a narrow range, most people are good at keeping their emotional temperatures in a narrow range. The danger (emotionally and physically) comes when signs show that someone's temperature has dropped well below normal or sky-rocketed way above normal. Those are signs that there are other things going on that may need some attention.

Picture
Take Your Spouse's Temperature

Just as a doctor would use a thermometer to take a patient's temperature, you can use an emotional thermometer to find out how your spouse is feeling.  Are they stressed, tired, happy, depressed, discouraged, mad, excited, angry, upset, frustrated?  The emotions will vary depending on the day, life stressors (children fit into this category), and the overall health and well-being of your spouse. 

So, how do you take your spouse's emotional temperature? 

1) Look in their eyes.

2) Touch them in a loving, but non-sexual way (i.e. take their hand, touch their face, run your fingers through their hair, kiss them on the cheek, etc.).

3 ) Ask,  "How are you?" With an emphasis on the word YOU. (Not, "How was your day?" or "How was work," but "How are YOU?")

Try and do all three at the same time. Unless your spouse is incredibly good at hiding their feelings, it should be pretty obvious to you where they fall on the emotional-temperature scale. Knowing where your spouse is at, the moment you are reunited, will give you the ability to then help meet your spouse's needs and find ways to serve them. 

If your wife is in a great mood because her client meeting went extremely well today, then celebrate accordingly. If your husband had a rough day and comes home stressed, be sensitive to his feelings and find a way to make his evening a little better. Now, if he just happens to be HANGRY (hungry, and therefore, angry); please get him some food asap. And read this post. 

Sometimes it won't be easy to read your spouse's temperature, but with time, you will become more sensitive and discerning of your spouse's needs, feelings, and emotional health.  

If you consistently greet your spouse by taking their emotional temperature, it will put you in a good place to be sensitive, understanding, and selfless. And those three things will put you on a path to a pretty cohesive, happy, and fulfilling marriage.  Go get em, Doc!

Picture
One Final Thought

Now, just as some prescriptions don't seem to have an immediate effect,  in some cases there won't be an immediate fix to struggles you or your spouse may be facing. Be patient. Be oh-so-very-patient! You can get through this together! Occasionally, circumstances may require the help of another person, counselor, or other outside help. But don't give up! There are many caring individuals and trained professionals that can help.

Subscribe to our newsletter

* indicates required
Close
2 Comments
Janelle
4/11/2018 07:58:02 pm

Can you please suggest if there is further material on how to handle your spouse's different emotions. Angry, sad, withdrawn, hurt, stressed, crying, etc. Looking for answers when dealing with either men and women.

Reply
SCOTT WYCOFF
6/13/2022 04:37:50 pm

Hi, did you know there are spells to win love back from an ex. I have done it. I love reading about relationships and how to make them work, how to better the relationship, and how to keep the spark alive, even how to talk to them a certain way to get them to think a different way about the situation and you. If you need advice or want to win your ex back, try this: emutemple@gmail.com copy and message on the following ( emutemple@gmail.com ) It will change your mentality and get you what you want. Facebook page Https://web.facebook.com/Emu-Temple- 104891335203341

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Routines &
    Rituals

    RSS Feed

    “A great marriage isn’t something that just happens; it’s something that must be created.”
    - Fawn Weaver

    Picture

    You Know You Want to Read

    • 15 Tricks to Help You Learn How to Talk to Your Spouse Again
    • 3 Reasons You & Your Spouse Need a Bucket List
    • How Being "Mad" is Hurting Your Relationship
    • 17 Gestures That Make Men Feel Loved
    • Why You Should Still Ask Your Spouse Out on Dates
    • Foreplay Isn't Always What You Think
    • 3 Reasons to Keep Trying to Be Intimate With Your Partner
    • 5 Tips for Dealing with In-Laws Who Feel Like Out-Laws
    Instagram

    Everybody Loves These

    • Doing Things Your Lover Loves Because You Love Your Lover
    • 40 Fabulous Spring Date Ideas
    • 4 Tips to Creating the Marriage You Want
    • What is Your Apology Language?
    • How to Create Bedtime Rituals That Will Nurture Your Marriage
    • 5 Things Great Listeners Do
    Picture
   The Little Things       |     Date Night      |      Intimacy      |      Values to Live By      |      Routines and Rituals      |      Conflict Resolution       

Featured Couples      |      On a Lighter Note      |      Studies Show      |      Shareable Quotes 
  |      Commenting Policy
Photos used under Creative Commons from Brett Jordan, Billy Metcalf Photography, -closed- look 4 /MyVisualPoetry, the.anomalous, anastasia r, iulia.pironea, Ryan Paulsen Photography, ashleypatty34, DonMiller_ToGo, Phil Roeder, Tony Faiola, David Blackwell., Lee Howguar, Nastya Birdy, johnhope14, RobertJinks, ClearFrost, parramitta, Kevin Cortopassi, JasonCorey, Rosa majalis, arthur shuraev, danielmoyle, H o l l y., treestok@gmail.com +919833694352, seanmcgrath, Marina Aguiar Araujo, Zuerichs Strassen, Leo Hidalgo (@yompyz), Sergio Vassio, tmarsee530, osseous, striatic, garryknight, bandita
  • About
    • Us
    • Our Foundational Analogy
    • What We Believe
    • Meet Our Contributors
    • Featured On...
  • 6 Pillars to Nurturing Marriage
    • The Little Things
    • Date Night
    • Intimacy
    • Values to Live By
    • Routines and Rituals
    • Conflict Resolution
  • More
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Money Matters
    • Featured Couples
    • On a Lighter Note
  • BUY OUR BOOKS
    • LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND: A CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE DEVOTIONAL
    • NURTURE
  • Coaching Services
  • Contact Us
    • Shareable Quotes
    • Become a Contributor
    • Speaking Engagements
    • Partner with Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Join the Community >
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Nurturing Marriage Conversations Facebook Group