Keeping Your Marriage Healthy And Happy

Marriage can be one of the greatest joys in life. It can also be one of the biggest struggles. Learning to live every day committed to one person requires a lot of hard work, trust, honesty, and love.

One thing that a lot of couples struggle with is keeping the romance alive after years of being married. You fall into a routine or the challenges of life start to wear down your mental state, and as a result, the marriage begins to suffer. The solution is to commit to working on your relationship 24/7/365, no matter what.

But some people may wonder how to do that. What can be done to really focus on building the marriage and leveling up the romance? Here are some ideas for keeping your marriage healthy and working to make both partners happy.

Changing as a person is necessary

A lot of movies, tv shows, and other entertainment tend to push this mantra of “if they can’t love you for who you already are, then they aren’t the one.” While this tenant is true in some ways, it also creates a false narrative about how a marriage should work. Yes, you should love your spouse for who they are, but you should also be pushing each other to grow and change. Inevitably, there will be adjustments that you have to make in your lifestyle to make room for putting someone else above you every day. Habits will change, your level of empathy will shift, and you will become a better person. Be open to changing for your partner, and don’t hang on to the idea of “not changing for anyone.” That can lead to selfishness in a marriage.

Put your spouse first

This might seem like an obvious solution, but it can be much harder to put into practice all the time. You should work on considering their needs before your own as much as possible. Find ways to serve and care for them, whether it is something small or big. For one thing, it will show them that you love them, but it will also benefit you as acts of service are good for your own mental health. Put your spouse’s needs above your own and it will benefit your marriage.

Learn how to manage conflict

It may be a cliche, but learning how to communicate well will be the key to a strong marriage. This applies to both positive interactions, like compliments and flirting, and negative interactions such as an argument. This is where honesty becomes extremely important, because you need to be communicating how you are feeling and listening to how they feel about a certain situation. Some of the most common heated topics are money, raising children, and a lack of affection/quality time. It is important to try to avoid reacting angrily to a disagreement and instead focus on how you can work together to resolve the conflict. 

Care for yourself as well

While you should put your spouse’s needs above your own, this does not mean that you should neglect yourself. After all, while you are putting them first, they should be doing the same thing for you. Don’t be afraid to communicate how you feel and what your needs are to your partner. It is the responsibility of both of you to care for each other in this marriage. If you are in a situation where you feel like you can’t be completely open with your partner, then that is an issue that needs to be dealt with. In the event of sexual abuse, you can always call the Rosenfield Injury Lawyers. Make sure you look out for yourself in your marriage.

Keep “dating”

Though you are married, you should continue to date each other in the same way that you did before. Go on regular whenever you can to get some alone time or at least a change of scenery with each other. Try a night out at the movies, or a picnic, or a hike that takes you to a great view together. These things will help you keep the spark alive while making memories that you can look back on fondly. Date as much as you can and your marriage will thrive.

Are you willing to put in the work?

You made a vow to be committed to this person for the rest of your life. You might have said words like “in sickness and in health,” or “for richer or poorer.” This means that no matter the circumstances, you promise to continue loving and caring for them. While divorce rates can be intimidating, the best way to avoid going through them is to put in the work that a marriage takes. There is no fairytale marriage where everything is perfect when you have found the one. You will have to work hard, maybe harder than you ever have, to build and maintain that relationship. Make sure that you and your partner understand what you are getting into before you say “I do.”