At the root of every great marriage is a great relationship. Relationships need constant attention if they are to survive and grow. Without the foundation of a strong relationship, your marriage probably won't survive. Even if it does survive, it won't be a very happy marriage.
A simple ceremony makes you married. Until this contract is dissolved through divorce or annulment, you will be married. This makes marriage very black-and-white. Either you're married or you not.
Relationships are much more fragile than marriages. There are many shades of gray when it comes to relationships. Sometimes your relationship begins to crumble so slowly that your don't even notice.
Surprisingly others may notice trouble in your marriage even before you. Friends will often hide the truth from you in order to protect your feelings.
Here are a few signs that that there may be trouble on the horizon:
You go to parties or other events without your spouse and make excuses as to why they couldn't make it.
On the rare occasions you do spend time together, you are constantly bickering or finding fault with each other. Or maybe it has gone completely the other way; you spend time together but never talk. Even when you do, the conversations seem boring.
Sex has become less and less frequent. You or your spouse just always seem too tired or you just never seem to find the time. When you do have sex, you find yourself fantasizing about someone else.
You and your partner no longer exchange physical displays of affection. You don't kiss each other goodnight or good morning any more. You don't hold hand when walking or spending time together. A marriage that involves no touching is unlikely to survive without some immediate help.
Extreme jealousy is another obvious sign of relationship troubles. You may hold back your affections if you are the jealous partner. However, jealousy is just as destructive if you are on the receiving end. You feel unfairly judged, un-trusted and hurt.
You and your spouse argue about money. Tough financial times, by themselves aren't the problem. Many couples work together as a team to create and stick to a budget. The problems begin when the two of you aren't on the "same page". You try to save money, but your spouse spends freely, or vice-versa.
Even the best marriages have occasional relationship problems. Conflicts and disagreements are common and should be expected. It might be time to consider giving your relationship a "tune-up" if you saw yourself in the paragraphs above. Just remember that you are not the first couple to go through this. As long as at least one of you wants to improve your relationship, you can have the marriage you have always desired.
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Jake Jafims is the creator of GetMarriageHelpNow.com a website dedicated to bringing together the best marriage and relationship help products. Get more information at -> GetMarriageHelpNow.com
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
