If you or your partner is in need of urgent mental health support, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Today, I welcome psychiatrist (and close friend) Dr. Lisa Benton-Hardy to the show. Dr. Hardy is Board Certified in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry and has been practicing for over 20 years. In the first of this two-part discussion of mental health in the context of relationships, Dr. Hardy addresses:

• Signs of mental health challenges and what she calls going "0 for 2"
• Causes of mental health problems
• The mind-body connection

We go on to discuss the numerous ways individual mental health struggles impact relationships, and then Dr. Hardy describes the following common conditions that one or both partners may experience:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• ADHD
• Substance abuse

Dr. Hardy shares how the acronym CAGE can help determine if symptoms rise to the level of being a problem, and the steps to take to get a proper diagnosis (and that doesn't include taking advice from "Dr. Google" Lastly, we discuss co-dependency and enabling behavior within relationships.

If you like what you heard...

• Follow Practically Married with Paula Holt on your favorite podcast platform to get every episode!
• Visit PracticallyMarried.net/Newsletter to sign up and receive even more relationship info and resources!
• Follow @getpracticallymarried on Instagram to tell us about your experiences using the strategies you hear on the show!

Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Sage Holt-Hall

In this solo mini episode, I'll explain my unexpected extended break in Season 2 before touching on what Practically Married has had me thinking about and working on over the last couple months. I'll share...

• Some thoughts about weddings
• The marriage book I'm reading - 'Til Stress Do Us Part by Elizabeth Earnshaw
• A promo of my upcoming discussion on couples and mental health

Practically Married website redesign by Going Bold Studio.

If you like what you heard...

• Follow Practically Married with Paula Holt on your favorite podcast platform to get every episode!
• Visit PracticallyMarried.net/Newsletter to sign up and receive even more relationship info and resources!
• Follow @getpracticallymarried on Instagram to tell us about your experiences using the strategies you hear on the show!

Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Sage Holt-Hall

If you've ever wondered about the feelings you or your partner have when spending money, listen to this episode with Scott Rick, Associate Professor of Marketing from the University of Michigan, and author of the book Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships.

In our conversation, Scott explains his definition of a tightwad and spendthrift before we move on to discuss:

• Dating advice in the context of spending types
• Attraction tendencies between spending types
• Spending on engagement rings and weddings

We move on to the issue of combining money in relationships and a discussion of the study Prof. Rick co-authored exploring using joint vs separate bank accounts. Listen to learn which option led to greater happiness, and why complete financial transparency can be problematic.

Another tricky financial topic for couples to navigate is purchasing gifts, so we dive into how spending types impact the way you and your partner select gifts, and we provide some gift-giving advice.

Lastly, we wrap up our conversation with a great practical piece of advice from Prof. Rick on how to navigate spending disagreements between tightwads and spendthrifts.

If you like what you heard...

• Follow Practically Married with Paula Holt on your favorite podcast platform to get every episode!
• Visit PracticallyMarried.net/Newsletter to sign up and receive even more relationship info and resources!
• Follow @getpracticallymarried on Instagram to tell us about your experiences using the strategies you hear on the show!

Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Sage Holt-Hall