Creating and living in a marriage that works is rarely an overnight or simplistic process. Even if two individuals are compatible and madly in love, they will need to understand how to communicate and compromise with one another if they plan to stay with one another for the rest of their lives. If you are in a serious relationship or if you have recently gotten married, knowing the secrets to a marriage that works can help you to build a flourishing and thriving relationship with the one you love most for years to come.
1. Healthy Lifestyle
Individuals in a marriage that works typically understand the significance of leading and living a healthy lifestyle as much as possible. Aligning your vision with your spouse’s when it comes to what it means to live healthily can go a long way in building lifelong bonds. If your spouse struggles with their health, weight, chronic conditions, or even addiction, there will likely be more challenges along the way. While chronic health conditions are rarely the choice of an individual, addiction can typically be rooted back to a certain incident or a recurrence of trauma early on in life.
How to Address an Addiction in a Marriage
Any type of addiction can be extremely devastating and heartbreaking, especially when it interferes with an otherwise happy marriage. Seeking addiction treatments for your spouse may not always be as simple as finding a local rehabilitation center or facility. Your spouse will first want to seek help for the addiction they have developed, which is typically considered half the battle of those who have experienced any form of addiction themselves. Only once your spouse has admitted that they are struggling and that they want to seek help will it be possible to find the addiction facilities and programs that they need to make a full and complete recovery.
2. Romantic Dates
Anyone who is in a marriage that works understands the important role that romantic dates play. Even if you have been with your spouse for more than a decade, scheduling regular romantic dates can be the key to maintaining a healthy bond and connection with one another. Unfortunately, once couples become increasingly comfortable with one another, they tend to stop attempting to date one another. This can lead one partner to feel insecure or unworthy, which can lead to an imbalance in the marriage over time.
When you want to take your spouse out on a special romantic date, you can do so by conducting a bit of research on locations near you ahead of time. Choose a unique location that is new to you both and that includes state-of-the-art restaurant equipment. Or, if you have a specific vision for the evening, select a restaurant with a theme or a specific cuisine that appeals to both you and your spouse. Going out of your way to make special plans and going out on romantic dates can make a major difference in the quality of your marriage as time passes.
3. Support of Hobbies
If you are committed to being in a marriage that works, you will need to take the time to support your spouse’s hobbies, even if they are not particularly interesting to you personally. Supporting one’s hobbies is a way for you to build the confidence and self-esteem of your spouse, especially if they’re extremely passionate about their hobbies in and outside the home. Whether your spouse enjoys racing and fixing vehicles, investing in sewing supplies for crafts, or even creating brand-new art from the nature they find around them, supporting your loved one is an integral part of a healthy marriage and connection.
4. Compromise
Compromise is a fundamental aspect of any marriage that works, whether you’ve been married for a year or for 30 years. Effective and constructive communication and compromise are integral to any lifelong relationship, especially one that involves love and physical attraction. Knowing how to communicate and compromise with your loved ones, including your spouse, will help to make your lives much easier and also much more harmonious when you choose to spend it together. Compromising is not always easy, but ultimately helps to make everyone involved happier, rather than tending to the needs or whims of just one individual involved.
Whether you are thinking of investing in new cabinets for your home’s kitchen or moving to another state or country entirely, you will need to make your decisions by compromising with your spouse. In some instances, you may not get exactly what you want, but you will both get what you need to continue remaining together as you work towards accomplishing your goals. The more open-minded you remain when it comes to communicating and compromising with your spouse, the less friction you are likely to encounter as the years go by.
5. Handy Work
Knowing how to make a marriage work requires more than the ability to connect and communicate with one another. When you are living together and planning to build a life with one another, you will need to consider the type of handy work that may be required throughout the years. If at least one of the individuals in a marriage is not handy, you will need to find local contractors and companies that you can rely on, such as a local plumber.
The Importance of Preparing for Handy Work
As a homeowner in a marriage, you will encounter a wide range of issues. From broken toilets and dishwashers to floods and cracks in the roof, there will be plenty of projects to do around the house once you are a homeowner in a marriage. Inspecting, tending to, and repairing problems is extremely imperative in order to minimize tension and arguments from occurring between individuals in the home. Even if you are not handy, having access to professional contractors, companies, and local resources can go a long way in preventing major fights or disagreements from breaking out at any time.
6. Good Finances
In order to stay in a marriage that works, you will need to take your financial management seriously. Knowing how to effectively manage your finances will help alleviate financial-related stress from the household entirely. Poor financial management will not only lead to insecurities in regard to your residence and monthly bills, but may also interfere with the relationship you have with your spouse.
If you are unable to manage your finances properly, you may begin to feel tension and resentment whenever you are around your spouse. This is especially true if you are in need of their assistance with the matter. Any time you are struggling to get out of debt or manage your finances in a marriage, you can consider working with a local professional accountant or tax relief services that are available near you.
Benefits of Working With Accountants and Tax Professionals
Working with a professional tax accountant or financial advisor is highly advisable to minimize and reduce conflict in any marriage or even in a business partnership. Because financial struggles are noted as a main reason for most divorces today, staying on top of your finances at all times is essential if you are committed to making your marriage last for a lifetime. Working with a professional advisor will ensure you are saving enough and investing appropriately for long-term benefits and gains, regardless of how much you intend to invest and save at the time.
7. Chores
Those who live in a marriage that works know that it is important to have a balance when it comes to taking on household chores and duties. Dividing up household chores will help both individuals in a relationship to feel much more balanced, especially if they also work or help with child-rearing. Sharing chores will help with housework to feel less like a burden, especially if one spouse does not feel that they are bearing the brunt of the work on their own.
The Importance of Sharing Chores
Diving chores that involve lawn maintenance, house cleaning, and even taking care of your children’s transportation can help with maintaining a healthy and happy marriage. When both individuals involved in a marriage feel as if the work around the home is being split equally, they are less likely to feel resentment or anger towards the spouse in the relationship who is not currently pulling their weight. Sharing chores will also help to streamline the management of any household, big or small. When more members of the household are actively involved in pitching in and lending a helping hand when it comes to completing chores, marriages and relationships are less likely to experience unnecessary strains.
Consider Hiring a Professional Cleaning Service
If you are in a marriage in which you both work full-time and you do not have enough time to keep up with the cleaning around your home, consider hiring a professional service. Professional house cleaners arrive at your property with the proper cleaning tools, equipment, and solutions necessary to get the job done right. When you are working with a cleaning company, you can do so knowing that your belongings are also protected if the cleaning company is properly licensed and insured to offer residential cleaning services.
8. Fun Vacations
Taking fun vacations with your spouse is also important if you want to live in a marriage that lasts and works for as long as possible. While you may already take vacations or family getaways with your children, it’s essential to do so while also traveling just with your spouse. Planning a vacation or getaway with just your spouse is a way to explore the world around you while also getting to spend some quality time with one another. Whether you want to shop for western apparel while visiting a theme park or you’re itching to stop in at a unique local museum wherever you travel to, you can plan plenty of fun vacations that do not involve your children when your marriage is also a priority.
9. Fun Surprises
Fun surprises and events can have a significant impact on the overall happiness and satisfaction you feel in your marriage. From surprising your spouse with a vacation to providing them with massages and pedicures, fun surprises can keep your relationship interesting and keep the sparks flying for decades to come. Simply putting in time and effort to surprise your spouse or to spend time with them will show them just how much you care. More often than not, those in unhappy marriages simply want their spouse to spend more time with them or pay more attention to them, which can get lost after spending years or even decades as a married couple. Putting in a bit of extra effort may be just what you need to keep a thriving and healthy marriage for the rest of your life.
10. Downtime
When it comes to living in a marriage that works, downtime is just as important as working and spending time exploring all that the world has to offer with your spouse. At times in life, you may simply want to rest and enjoy your downtime with the ones you love most. Having the same vision in terms of the time you spend at home relaxing and unwinding can also play a major role in how successful your marriage is through the years.
If you want to enjoy more downtime with your spouse, consider investing in outdoor patio space, a bar, or another form of entertainment that you can enjoy in or around your home together. Downtime can also be as simple as watching movies and preparing meals with one another. Having the same idea of downtime can help you to make the most out of life while married, especially as you age and no longer have the same drive as when you were younger.
When your heart desires a marriage that works, you can achieve your dreams by finding the right partner and understanding both your wants and needs. Knowing what it takes to make a marriage that works will allow you to make the most of the journey you are on together. The more in tune you become with your spouse and partner, the easier it will be for you to accomplish any of the goals and dreams you have with one another, well into the future.
