Trust in a marriage is a cornerstone of any healthy relationship. Open communication is built on a foundation of trust, and trust increases with communication. They really build on each other within a marriage. If you don’t trust your spouse, you’re far more likely to be careful of the words you use. You might even hold back things that you should tell them out of uncertainty on how they’re react. However, once the trust is broken, it will take some work to rebuild it, and that’s where disclosure comes in. Read the rest of this entry
Some of the worst ongoing fights in a marriage can be a result of inequalities in the marriage. These battles are often the ones that rise up over and over again – sometimes in circumstances that have nothing to do with the original argument. They’re also often the things that can be brought back up for years.
Let me give you some examples. Read the rest of this entry
These are some of the hardest words to hear from your spouse in a marriage – I love you but I’m not in love with you.
Often they come as a surprise. For years your marriage has been the same. Sure, there have been problems, but nothing that might put the marriage at risk. Then, out of the blue, your spouse tells you this.
What does it mean?
First, know that this is a very common phrase in marital difficulties. While the specifics might be different, generally the meaning is the same. So while your specific marriage issues might not perfectly match this (short) article, just know that you really aren’t alone. Now on to what your spouse is trying to say. Read the rest of this entry
If you’re asking yourself “how to make my husband happy,” you are closer to an answer to improving your marriage than you might think.
Often we tend to shift a great deal of the blame for marriage issues to our spouse instead of taking responsibility. That’s not fair nor is it realistic. It’s best to focus on what you can do to make your marriage better. One of the most effective steps to take is to work at making love a verb rather than a noun.
In most marriages, people tend to think of love as a thing. They are sad that they don’t seem to have as much of it as they used to. They might be sad that love is completely missing from their marriage. In addition to, “how to make my husband happy,” I often hear other questions like, “where did the love go?” Read the rest of this entry
First, take a deep breath.
The place you’re at is one of the toughest to be in during a marriage. You are angry. You are hurt. You feel betrayed. You know that something has to change.
You are absolutely right. Something does have to change.
Either you (or you and your spouse) have to work to rebuild the trust in your relationship, or you need to take decisive action to end the marriage. As painful as it is, those are the only two real options. Sure, some think that they can simply forgive and forget, but with a wound this deep, that’s just not realistic. Infidelity is way too big of a problem to ignore or simply sweep under a rug. It will not go away on its own. Read the rest of this entry
I have come to believe that great communication or the lack of it is one of the most important factors in whether or not a marriage will survive and even in saving a marriage. Yes, trust is also at the top of the list, however, over and over I’ve seen where trust is broken after communication starts breaking down. Let me give you a real-world scenario:
Mary loves her new husband, Bob, with all her heart. Yes, it bothers her a little bit when Bob drops his dirty socks on the bedroom floor, but she doesn’t say anything — she doesn’t want something insignificant to cause a rift in their otherwise great relationship.
Fast-forward 13 years. Read the rest of this entry
