relationships

Read why breakups are good for you here.

Breakups are Another Face of Love

Trying to mend from a heartbreak? Here's how to heal a broken heart in eight different ways.

How to Heal From a Heartbreak

Read to learn about how to deal with jealousy in any relationship.

When Jealousy Knocks, Should You Answer?

Learn how to love others by following these three ways.

3 Ways to Love Those We’ve Never Met

Read the poem "How to Stay Friends With an Ex".

“How To Stay Friends With an Ex”

Are you and your partner total opposites? Here's how to "make it work".

5 Tips For Loving a Partner Who’s the Opposite of You

Learning to be vulnerable with others can be a lengthy process, but this author believes it's worth it so people can love the real her.

Why I Stopped Making Myself ‘Easier to Love’

Take your S.O. out on these summer dates we have plotted out for you.

5 Fresh Summer Date Ideas for You and Your S.O.

Read "Poker Night", a poem about missing someone.

“Poker Night”

Read this reflective narrative about over-apologizing.

Getting Out of the Sea of Sorries

Learn how to forgive when family hurts you.

How to Forgive a Family Member Who Won’t Change

Read this author's account of what it's like losing a loved one.

What It’s Really Like to Lose Someone Close to You

Read about how this couple seeks solidarity after watching the 'Easter Sunday' movie.

What I Learned From Being the First Interracial Couple in My Family

Read this licensed clinical counselor's answer to "what is gaslighting in a relationship?"

What is Gaslighting, Exactly?

Don't ignore these abusive relationship signs.

Are You In An Abusive Relationship? Here’s How to Tell

Learn about the four temperaments and how they can help your relationships.

How the 4 Temperaments Can Help You Understand Others

Learn here for how to break up with someone in a gentle way.

Breaking Up Isn’t Easy — Here’s How to Do It Gently

Learn how to synergize to improve your teamwork.

Is Your Team Pulling Apart? Here’s the Key to Working Together

Read about how to seek to understand before being understood to become a better listener.

Developing Your Listening Skills Can Be a Game-Changer

Setting boundaries with family members during the holidays is very important. Read how to set them here.

TFW You’re Home for the Holidays and Family is Wearing You Down

Read through this holiday survival guide if you're taking your S.O. home for the first time.

Taking Your Partner Home for the Holidays? A Survival Guide

Watch how this village carpenter builds furniture and relationships.

Building Furniture & Community for the Neighborhood

Learn here why a win-win relationship is important and how to create one.

Are Your Relationships Too Competitive? Try Shifting to Win/Win

Master how to pursue someone after reading this article.

3 Ways to Pursue a Romantic Interest

Learn how to forgive your parents with these 5 ways.

Forgiving Your Parents for Past (or Present) Hurts

Implement mindful listening techniques in order to recognize others' dignity.

How Listening Well Shows Others Dignity

Watch why Joyce Wanjiku Kair spends time taking care of the elderly, a service most Kenyan families cannot afford.

Caring for the Elderly in Kenya

Read why Olivia Rodrigo's debut album 'Sour' is more than just an album about teenage heartbreak.

Why ‘Sour’ is More Than an Album About Teenage Heartbreak

Preserving romance after a baby is essential; this author shares her experience.

Parents, You Need To Go On Dates Together — Here’s Why

Find out here what Mother's Day is like for estranged children.

For Those With Broken Relationships on Mother’s Day

Read this reflective narrative about how to be a better conversationalist by asking questions.

Questions are Keys that Unlock Doors to Other People

What do healthy boundaries look like and why do we need them? Find out more here.

This Is What Healthy Boundaries Look Like

Read what this author learned about relationships from her parents' divorce.

What I Learned About Relationships as a Child of Divorce

Listen with the ear of your heart in order to maintain connections with others during the pandemic.

How Listening Well Can Sustain Our Relationships

This author provides 5 dinner ideas for Valentine's Day at home.

Shake Up Date Night With These Stay-At-Home Ideas

Talking about sex with your spouse may seem odd, but it's important to open up about your desires for physical intimacy.

Ways to Talk About Physical Intimacy with Your Spouse

Why is chastity important? This author learned a few life lessons throughout his dating years and marriage; he shares them here.

What We Might Be Missing When We Think About Chastity

What is true love? This author works in the entertainment industry, and she tells us what the differences are between Hollywood romance and true romance.

What Hollywood’s Depiction of Romance Gets Wrong

Learn the importance of trust in a relationship from this author's personal love story with his fiancé.

This Practice Helps Us Build Our Relationship on Trust

Follow these 4 tips for how to give compliments that really mean something.

4 Tips for Giving More Meaningful Compliments

Learn how to live with your parents by following these tips.

Moving Back Home? Here’s How to Make the Transition Easier

Cultivate relationships with other individuals by following these three paths.

3 Paths to Cultivating Community in Your Life

Read here for how your attachment style can affect your relationships with yourself and others.

How Your Attachment Style Impacts Your Relationships

Be warned by these five signs that you may be dating "potential" rather than an actual person.

5 Signs You May Be Dating ‘Potential’ Instead of a Person

Don't worry if you've been ghosted; we have some tips here.

You’ve Been Ghosted — Now What?

What is the importance of assertiveness? Read more about the benefits of being assertive here.

How We Can Benefit from Being More Assertive

Take into consideration these four tips for having a shared home office with your spouse.

4 Tips for Sharing a WFH Space with a Spouse

Try out these 10 at home date night ideas with your partner while cooped up in quarantine.

10 Ideas For Couples to Date-at-Home Together

What is kinship? This author explains why it's importance in service work.

How One Idea Changed the Way I See Service

Read how this author learned that reaching out for help while suffering made the weight more bearable.

How I Learned You Don’t Have to Suffer Alone

Consider these tips for how to be a good partner during quarantine.

Quarantine Doesn’t Have to Threaten Your Marriage

Here are 3 ways to say "sorry" when you have hurt someone.

3 Ways to Say ‘I’m Sorry’

Follow this advice for how to stop being critical.

How (and Why) To Cut Back on Criticism

Deal with conflict avoidance by following this therapist's advice.

5 Tips for Facing Conflict (Instead of Avoiding it)

Learn why communication is key if you are in a long distance relationship.

How Long-Distance Actually Brought Us Closer

"Am I ready to get engaged?" Here are 10 signs that show you may not be ready.

10 Signs You Are Not Ready to Get Engaged

This author explains what a situationship actually is and how to address it if you are in one.

You Deserve Better Than a ‘Situationship’

Is codependency bad for you? This author explains what it is and why it can be harmful.

What is Codependency and Why is it Dangerous?

Wives share how they answered the question "Is he the one?" before they were married.

Wives Reveal How They Knew He Was ‘The One’

Grotto shares and celebrates love with this Valentine's Day video.

Grotto Celebrates Love

Does online dating work? This author shares 3 reasons why he's still using dating apps.

Why I Haven’t Given Up on Meeting Someone Online

Here is a method to answering the question, where do I belong?

How Can We Discover Where We Belong?

Learn these 5 conflict resolution tips for healthy communication.

Healthy Communication Tips for Conflict Resolution

Relationship-Fights

10 Ways We Don’t Fight Fair in Relationships

Single-People

What the World Needs to Understand About Single People

Read these 6 tips for how to talk about politics with family and friends.

How to Talk Politics with Family & Friends

Follow these 4 steps for how to survive a breakup.

How to Survive Being Dumped

Understand the hidden message behind Selena Gomez's 'Lose You to Love Me' song.

Selena Gomez and the Relatability of Hating Your Ex

Why-Do-I-Keep-Thinking-About-My-Ex

3 Reasons You Can’t Stop Thinking About Your Ex

Read these 3 questions for couples that will transform your relationship.

3 Questions That Will Transform Your Relationship

Fun-Hobbies-for-Couples

Indoor and Outdoor Hobbies to Enjoy as a Couple

Questions-to-Ask-Before-Marriage

3 Questions to Ask Your S.O. Before Marriage

Read how this author decided to make friends with her neighbors, and it ended up changing her life.

How Befriending My Neighbors Changed My Life

How-to-Break-Up-with-Someone-Nicely

How to Dump Someone (Nicely)

Battling-Depression

What a Billboard Cannot Say

When-Did-You-Know-She-Was-the-One

5 Guys Reveal How They Knew She Was ‘The One’

Relationship-Myths

5 Damaging Relationship Myths Debunked

How-To-Apologize-To-Someone-You-Hurt-Deeply

6 Dos and Don’ts for a Quality Apology

Dating-Someone-With-Depression

What to Know About Dating Someone with Depression

Poem-About-Seasons

“Too Many Experts”

Questions-to-Ask-Before-Getting-Married

3 Questions to Ask Before Getting Married

Groom-Speech

The Best Groom’s Speech Ever

Best-Marriage-Advice

The Best Marriage Advice I’ve Ever Received

Read this poem about communication in relationships.

“The Attendants”

Read about these 5 toxic relationship signs.

5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Relationship

Follow these four tips for when you are dating with depression.

4 Tips for Dating When You Have Depression

Read why an aunt and niece decided to live together.

How My Elderly Aunt Became One of My Best Friends

Read this poem about siblings—a Syrian brother and sister—in Homs, Syria.

“Siblings”

Read this haiku poem about perfection.

“Perfect as You Are”

Read these 4 tips about how to get along with in-laws

Tried-and-True Tips for Communicating with In-Laws

Read these 8 lessons from past failed relationships of 30-somethings.

30-Somethings Share Lessons from Past Relationships

This is what I love about being an aunt.

The Best Part About Being an Aunt

Wondering when to get married? Take this essential step first.

This is the Best Time to Become a Whole Person

Read these 5 ways for how to survive an awkward conversation. Pictured: an empty restaurant booth.

5 Ways to Turn Around an Awkward Conversation

Read this reflective narrative about dealing with conflict in person rather than through a screen.

“Make the Call instead of Sending the Text”

Here's how to determine whom to take advice from in life and why.

Why (& How) We Should Filter the Voices in Our Lives

Read this poem about wishes for a loved one.

“LULLABY OF HYDERABAD”

Read these first-time manager tips, including 3 things new managers should learn to say often.

3 Things New Managers Should Learn to Say Often

Want to learn how to help a friend with mental illness? Read this therapist's advice.

3 Ways to Help a Friend with a Mental Illness

Are you wondering how to forgive someone who isn't sorry? Read this author's account of realizing what true forgiveness looks like.

How (& Why) to Forgive Someone Who Isn’t Sorry

Explore more Grotto

Importance-Of-Voting

It’s More Important than Ever to Engage in Politics

Practice these morning stretches to start your day intentionally.

Start Your Day With These Yoga Postures

Watch how Aram's improv comedy class instills confidence and creativity in the Chicago community.

Creative Magic Behind Chicago’s Improv Comedy

Want to know how to do stand-up comedy as a hobby? Find out how to overcome your nerves and even grow as a person.

How and Why to Pursue Comedy as a Hobby

Find out how using humor to cope can help you see laughter as a promise and source of hope.

The Promise of “One Day, You’ll Laugh About This”

Stock your closet up with these French fashion staples.

5 French Clothing Staples for a Très Chic Look

Have a laugh, on us. Check out the Grotto team's favorite funny videos.

Need a Laugh? Here are the Grotto Team’s Recs

Join Jane and Mike as they discuss how to find your personal style with an expert.

How Do You Find Your Personal and Professional Style?

Find out more about Our Lady of Sorrows and listen to this playlist inspired by her.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Learn how Noah realizes that laughter is the best medicine while dealing with an autoimmune disorder.

The Healing Power of Laughter