Show your enthusiasm when your spouse shares good news, such as accomplishment.

There are four common ways of responding to news. It all starts with a mindset:

– An active-constructive response (enthusiastic support): “That’s great! I knew you could do it. You’ve been working so hard.”

– A passive-constructive response (understated support): a warm smile and a simple “that’s good news.”

– An active-destructive response (demeaning the event): “Does this mean you are going to be gone working even longer hours now? Are you sure you can handle it?”

– A passive-destructive response (ignoring the good news): “Oh, really? Well, you won’t believe what happened to me on the drive home today!”

The way you respond is all part of building a deep and meaningful relationship of sharing and caring. Reflect on the way that you respond to your spouse’s good news.. As applicable, you may have to shift your mindset.