https://www.myottawatherapist.com/allthingscouples

The Couples Couch by Zara Arshad, Karachi (2026)

02/03/2026

Difficulty expressing or receiving emotions is one of the most common challenges I see in couples. Watch this video to understand why adults struggle with emotional expression.

The good news? These are learnable skills. With professional support, you can learn how to become more confident and fluent in speaking and receiving emotions.

🤎 Save and share with your partner
🤎Leave a comment if you have questions or thoughts on this
Follow me if you want to understand and improve your relationship
…
[ expressing and receiving emotion, couple challenges, emotional expression, learnable skills, couples therapist, ottawa therapist, couples therapy ]

27/02/2026

Happy, healthy, secure relationships don’t happen by chance - they are an act of choice. The choice to make time and effort. The choice to unlearn old ways and learn new ways of being. The choice to build tolerance and patience. The choice to be sincere and make amends. The choice to heal and grow. The choice to reflect & introspect. The choice to be flexible.. to trust.. to compromise and to act with love even when you don’t feel love.

Reflect on the choices you are making in your relationship and whether they are leading you towards a happier, more secure relationship or towards a harmful/destructive path that fuels insecurities.

🤎 Save to reflect on later
🤎 Follow .couples.couch for relationship support. This account is especially for you if you’re parenting small children together.
…
[ healthy relationship, secure attachment, emotional safety, emotional regulation, rebuilding trust, intentional love, postpartum relationship support, mom of three, motherhood, happy marriage, marriage tips, new mom, couples therapy, couples therapist, marriage advice, relationship advice, ottawa therapist, ontario therapist, relationship support ]

25/02/2026

If you’re bringing anything into 2026, let it be more awareness and intentionality instead of default patterns of interacting with each other.
Most couples don’t need more effort, they need more understanding of what’s actually happening between them.

Ins for 2026 ⤵️
✨ Choose more vulnerability: allow yourself to share your feelings, fears, and needs openly with your partner. ✨ Choose more teamwork: approach challenges as “us vs. the problem,” rather than “you vs. I”. ✨ Choose to seek support early: reach out for help or guidance before frustrations and resentments pile up. ✨ Choose to name your needs clearly: don’t rely on hints or hope; say what you truly need. ✨ Choose to repair after conflict: acknowledge hurts and work toward understanding, rather than sweeping them under the rug.

Outs for 2026 ⤵️
🚫 Let go of the “Me vs You” mindset: stop keeping score and blaming each other for mistakes. 🚫 Don’t wait until things are broken: address small issues before they become deep cracks in your relationship. 🚫 Release blame and chronic criticism: constant fault-finding damages connection rather than builds it. 🚫 Stop pretending fights didn’t happen: ignoring conflict prevents repair and leaves feelings unresolved. 🚫 Let go of expecting mind-reading: your partner can’t know your needs without you clearly expressing them.

2026 Relationship goals in a nutshell =
Less blame. More repair. Less “who’s right.” More “how can we work together to resolve this?”

🤎 Save this as a reminder for the next hard moment.
🤎 Share it with your partner & start a conversation

Follow .couples.couch for relationship tips and insights from a couple’s therapist.
…
[ new year 2026, new reflections, new resolutions, awareness and intentions, couples therapist, couples therapy, ottawa therapist, letting go of negativity ]

25/02/2026

Discovered this gem on YouTube when I was searching something else! This episode of was about adult attachment styles and it was such a fun conversation where I got the chance to explain how attachment styles form and how they show up in adult romantic relationships.

This was a pretty popular episode and I remember how so many of you connected to our conversation and walked away with a greater understanding of what was happening between you and your partner from the perspective of attachment.

Sharing some clips here. You can listen to the full episode by on your preferred platform!

🤎 Follow .couples.couch for insights and practical tips from a couples therapist and postpartum relationship expert.
🤎 Follow for more episodes addressing important topics in motherhood.

Attachment styles, attachment theory, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, secure attachment, parent child attachment, adult romantic attachment

24/02/2026

Couples think they are fighting about dishes and diapers..but what they are actually fighting about is usually something deeper:

➡️ feeling unseen
➡️ feeling unappreciated
➡️ feeling alone in the mental load
➡️ feeling unworthy
➡️ feeling inadequate
➡️ feeling disconnected since becoming parents

Just like this, the couple in my post thought they were fighting about the wrong type of diaper, until they realized what was happening underneath their interaction:

When she sees him put on the wrong diaper, it triggers an old wound: I don’t matter to him because he doesn’t remember that we have talked about this many times before! She reaches to him the only way she knows how: a snarky remark about how he put on the wrong diaper… again!
 He feels like he’s not good enough. He thinks, “no matter how much I do, I’ll never amount to her standard of a good husband.”

When he walks away, it confirms her fear that she doesn’t matter. So she pursues—trying to get reassurance and connection, albeit through more blame and harshness.

He feels cornered and emotionally flooded. He recognizes his need for space to regulate but doesn’t know how to express it. So he becomes angry and lashes out.
 She feels hurt and yells back.
They go back and forth, hurting each other.

Hours later, she is feeling anxious, alone, and resentful—it’s too much to hold. She goes back hoping he’ll apologize and show her she matters to him.

They have a calm conversation, both sharing their hurt and apologize.

Things feel okay—for now—because the deeper wounds are only bandaged, not healed.

This was a couple stuck in the anxious-avoidant cycle, fighting hard for reassurance and safety but completely missing the mark. When they slowed down in session and spoke about what’s actually underneath, the fight changed—and so did their relationship.

💬 Comment “GUIDE” if you want my 6 Steps for Breaking the Anxious-Avoidant cycle. Breaking this cycle is part of the work you need to do before you can get to what’s underneath your cycle!

🤎 Save this for later
🤎 Send it to your partner & start a conversation
…
[ triggered conversation, husband and wife arguments, reassurance, couples therapist ]

23/02/2026

Ever have one of those days where your brain feels overloaded, you’re touched out, and you feel like you’re on the edge of losing it?

Sometimes we just need to hear from other mums experiencing the same thing to know we’re not alone.

🤎 If this is you, leave a comment or tag a mum friend to let her know she’s not alone.

🤎 Share this with other mums

👉 Hit follow for relatable & practical content from me: a couples therapist, postpartum specialist, wife, and mom of 3.
…
[ peace of mind, tired mom, overstimulated and overwhelmed, nervous system overload, emotional overload, tired mommy, couples therapist, couples therapy, ottawa therapist ]

23/02/2026

Ever have one of those days where your brain feels overloaded, you’re touched out, and you feel like you’re on the edge of losing it?

Sometimes we just need to hear from other mums experiencing the same thing to know we’re not alone.

Also, the audio sound 😅- my 5 year old still makes sounds like these very loudly when she’s doing something. Cute but.. not cute? 🫣

🤎 If this is you, leave a comment or tag a mum friend to let her know she’s not alone.

🤎 Share this with other mums

👉 Hit follow for relatable & practical content from me: a couples therapist, postpartum specialist, wife, and mom of 3.
…
[ peace of mind, tired mom, overstimulated and overwhelmed, nervous system overload, emotional overload, tired mommy, couples therapist, couples therapy, ottawa therapist ]

23/02/2026

Ever have one of those days where your brain feels overloaded, you’re touched out, and you feel like you’re on the edge of losing it?

Sometimes we just need to hear from other mums experiencing the same thing to know we’re not alone.

🤎 If this is you, leave a comment or tag a mum friend to let her know she’s not alone.

🤎 Share this with other mums

👉 Hit follow for relatable & practical content from me: a couples therapist, postpartum specialist, wife, and mom of 3.
…
[ peace of mind, tired mom, tired of being strong, emotional overload, emotional healing, self love, tired mommy, couples therapist, couples therapy, ottawa therapist ]

21/02/2026

A letter many husbands feel but don’t always know how to say. Inspired by the stories I hear in the therapy room - and the quiet realizations that happen when both partners feel seen.

If this letter resonates but you don’t know how to put it in words to your wife -

🏷️ Tag her in the comments or
💌 Send it to to her by clicking share

🤎 Follow this account for practical guidance and support from a couple’s therapist.
…
[ heartfelt letter, for dear wife, dad to be, new dad, happy dad, fatherhood, wife and husband, married life, marriage support, couples therapy, couples therapist, ottawa therapist ]

20/02/2026

How do we go from being their favorite sound to just noise in the background that they barely notice?!

Original video created by

[mom humor, toddler life, parenting struggles, motherhood]

20/02/2026

This one comes from both places - the hearts of women I’ve seen in therapy, and my own heart as a wife 🤎

👉 If this resonates, please share with your husband or significant other.
…
[ dear husband, heartfelt letter, womanhood, wife and husband, couples therapy, couples therapist, ottawa therapist ]

13/03/2025

It’s so easy to feel like you’re the only one struggling with the weight of it all, especially when it feels like everyone else is handling things really well. But the truth is, most mothers have doubts, guilt, and feeling like she’s not doing enough.

It’s important to remind each other that no one has it all together all the time, and it’s okay to have tough days. No mother should feel like she’s carrying that burden alone. Sharing those experiences, even the difficult ones, helps us feel seen and supported. We all need to hear, “I understand, I am going through this too,” because it’s that understanding and connection that truly helps lift the weight.

Next time you are tempted to say to a mother with young children, “they grow up fast, enjoy it while it lasts” - please stop 🛑 it doesn’t help. Instead, connect with her on similar experiences so she doesn’t feel alone. And if you don’t have shared experiences, ask her more about what she’s carrying inside.. because chances are, it’s a lot.

The Couples Couch by Zara Arshad

02/03/2026

27/02/2026

25/02/2026

25/02/2026

24/02/2026

23/02/2026

23/02/2026

23/02/2026

21/02/2026

20/02/2026

20/02/2026

13/03/2025

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