Gift Sh!t

This week, we talked about the importance that gift-giving can play in a relationship. We discussed how it relates to your love language and the impact that it can have on your partner. I have always said that Marko is excellent at giving great gifts and I rely on him to provide that skill in our relationship. I often have ideas (some of which are good) but he always manages to elevate what ends up in the box with all the wrapping paper on it.

What I took away from this week’s episode was a great reminder that gifts do not have to be a physical object. They can be your time, your thoughtfulness, an experience; the one that resonated the most for me was to “crack down on criticism.” I don’t know what’s been going on with me the past few years but I realized that I have become a very critical person. I think I have always been a bit hypervigilant (thanks, trauma!) so I think and feel like a lot of the fast analysis of what is a threat and what isn’t bleeds into a sort of judgmental protective factor that ain’t cute. I think I can play off the same compulsions that drive this issue to help resolve it! I like the counting of positive versus negative comments and trying to maintain a ratio. I just need to make sure I don’t overly compliment when I should be reducing criticisms! Sounds like something I might try to get away with :)