In modern marriages, studies have shown that it’s actually quite common for both husbands and wives to cheat. While everyone’s relationship is unique, there are some common issues many couples face in their relationships that aid in the difficulties they experience. When things like stress, miscommunication, resentment and lack of empathy become patterns, the temptation to stray can increase. The following tips may help you to prevent infidelity in your marriage.
Talk About the Hard Stuff
One of the biggest contributors to the breakdown of a marriage is lack of communication, especially about difficult topics like insecurities, hurt feelings and worries. However, by not sharing information regarding these important aspects with a spouse, miscommunication happens. Often, these kinds of misunderstanding could have been avoided by simply talking about them.
Compromise to Meet Each Other’s Needs
Once you’ve discussed your frustrations or hurt feelings with your partner, it’s then time to make sure they are aware of your needs on the subject. You can never assume your spouse should know what you want from them. In addition, more than likely, you’ll need to make compromises to ensure that each partner’s needs are met. When this happens, spouses feel more satisfied and secure. Don’t be afraid to get creative or step out of societal norms when it comes to compromise. Sometimes you need to do things a little different than is traditionally expected. Coming to unique compromise that is right for your individual marriage is more important than what others think.
Put Yourself in Your Partner’s Shoes
Frequently, partners will share their frustrations with each other, but then fail to take action to make changes. Without change, unhealthy patterns will persist. One way to make change happen is to really listen to your partner and try to empathize with their feelings. While you may not fully understand the reason for such feelings, taking time to acknowledge them and validate your partner is experiencing pain has such a positive impact.
Don’t Attribute Intent Where There Is None
Those who do not take the time to empathize with their spouse and try to understand their feelings run the risk of concocting incorrect scenarios in their head. For example, if your spouse gives you the silent treatment, you may assume she is angry. In reality, she may not have intended to seem angry. Instead, her silence may have been her way of signaling her hurt feelings.
Hopefully, these tips can help you to work toward resolving your marital issues. However, sometimes divorce cannot be avoided. In these instances, it’s important to seek the advice of experts like Cordell & Cordell in order to navigate the process more smoothly.
