Honesty and open communication greatly contribute to the health of any relationship, especially intimate ones. Being open can be a struggle for couples who have different expectations about keeping secrets and where to draw the line when it comes to their privacy. Does the mantra "I'll show mine if you show me yours" establish a healthy foundation of trust in a relationship? What kind of attitude should we have to foster and maintain trust in our relationships to save ourselves from all unnecessary hurt and heartache?

Today, I dive into the differences between privacy and secrecy. I share how my wife and I dealt with privacy and secrecy in our relationship and how these circumstances affected our openness towards each other. I explain how keeping secrets diminishes your ability to build strong connections with your partner. I also discuss the different types of infidelity that can occur between couples, aside from sexual infidelity, as well as what it takes for couples to gain back the trust they lost due to keeping secrets.

"Trusting one another to be in a relationship and to show up with trust and honesty can be one of the greatest risks that you take in a relationship." - Pripo Teplitsky

This week on Relationships! Let's Talk About It:

• How 'snooping' and secrecy can be a learned behavior
• The true meaning of privacy in relationships
• How my wife and I showed respect for our son's privacy
• The different ways to share private experiences in relationships
• Why couples should have a private life that is apart from anyone, including families
• Situations when your partner could feel like you violated your sacred space as a couple
• How to identify when privacy has turned into secrecy
• Factors that motivate people to keep secrets
• Why secrets diminish intimacy and prevent you from establishing a connection to your partner
• The impact that secrecy can have on your relationship
• The constant component in infidelity and keeping secrets
• The illusion that couples believe when keeping secrets from their partner
• What it takes to repair your relationship after trust has been broken
• How keeping secrets from your partner increases stress and impacts your overall health

Resources Mentioned:

• Is There Privacy Or Secrecy In Your Relationship? Article By Suzanne Phillips
• Podcast Episode: Emotional Infidelity: Is It Really Cheating?

Sponsored by Gyro Creative

Transform your brand identity with Gyro Creative. Gyro Creative is a Detroit-based identity studio helping businesses, brands, and groups express their values through strategic brand development and design. Incite action, build culture, unite your community, and inspire change with your brand and brand message.

For more information or to start your brand identity transformation journey, visit www.GyroCreative.com

Let's Talk About It!

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.

If you have a relationship question you'd love to have answered, visit our podcast page to leave us a voice message. Your question may be featured on a future episode!

Don't forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook at HeartShare Counseling, join our Relationships! Let's Talk About It Facebook group, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships.

And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page!

Theme music "These Streets" provided by Adi the Monk

Relationships! Let's Talk About It is produced by Auxbus. You can create your own great podcast - faster and easier - at Auxbus.com