Sunday, October 5, 2008

5 Ways to Save a Marriage

Submitted By: Wan Ibrahim

Whether you have been married for a brief period of time or many years, you want your marriage to be the best it can be. However, there might be some misunderstandings and bitterness which may give rise to serious difficulties in your marriage.
A divorce affects the personal and social lives of both the partners and not to mention, the children. There is no such thing as painless divorce. If you watch the movies War of the Roses and Kramer vs. Kramer, you know what I meant. You do have a choice, go through the pain of divorce or do something to save your marriage. Here are 5 ways to save a marriage that you can effectively use to reconstruct your marriage.
First of all, acknowledge the marriage problem exist, be honest with yourself. Begin by asking yourself what problems you and your spouse encountering. You should be able to identify what difficulties need to be resolved and what you wish to accomplish. Share your thoughts and feelings, and request your spouse to share hers or his. This will help not only in making progress toward finding solutions, but it will also open up the lines of communication.
Many people make a mistake when they took the task to save their marriage. They neglect the wonderful things which were there at the beginning of their marriage, or even prior to their marriage. Placing some focus on these things is the second ways to save a marriage. What qualities did you find the most appealing in your spouse? What kind of goals, plans and dream did you both share? It quite likely that you’ll find the factors which influenced your decision to marry still exists.
The third important factor or ways to save a marriage is time. Nowadays we often hear about "quality time". However in many cases, it means trying to squeeze as much as possible into a small amount of time allocated for it. The pre-scheduled quality time is simply not enough. Granting your spouse your undivided attention is the factor which will help this very important person to realize that she or he still take the center-stage in your life.
Being able to recognize that no two people can reasonably be expected to agree on everything is the fourth ways to save a marriage. The differences come about from a person's background and upbringing. Perhaps you and your spouse did not fully acknowledge your differences in the early stage of your relationship; or perhaps you felt that time and love would solve that problem. If this has become a problem in your marriage, it can basically be resolved by compromise or by "agreeing to disagree".
The last tip of 5 ways to save a marriage is about having boundaries. The happiest marriage is one where clear boundaries exist and are consistently respected by both spouses and those around them. There are a numbers of boundaries which are essential for a healthy and happy marriage. For example certain things, such as sex, should remain between the two of them and not "up for discussion" with other people. If there is disagreement between you and your spouse, it is unfair to attempt to get others on your side. You must learn and respect that there is a difference between "yours", "mine" and "ours".
You may adopt one of these ways to save marriage and turn your marriage into a lifelong love.

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