When you’re engaged in a fight with your spouse, no matter the cause, it can feel unique to your marriage, passionate, and vital that you both resolve the issue immediately. But know that you aren’t alone in giving in and having “that ridiculous fight” that seems childish and embarrassing in retrospect. There are five fighting traps that all married couples tend to fall into from time to time. Take a look and familiarize yourself with these scenarios, and see if they feel familiar to you. Once you recognize these fighting traps, you can work with your spouse to be sure you avoid them.   Fighting about sex Sex should be…

It’s a pity no manual teaches you how to make your marriage work. Relationships are a work in progress, and marital issues are commonplace. One of the keys is to address them as they arise. If you are willing to put some effort into making your marriage work, you can get back on track even if it has been derailed. Here are some tips on how to do this:   Set aside time It’s so easy to get caught up in daily activities, especially when you have children. You need to remember that your relationship is at the heart of a happy home. You should always set aside one-to-one time…

Marriage is just wonderful. You fall in love and enter into a new partnership for a glorious future together. You declare your love for each other in front of everyone. The beginning of every new marriage can be wildly romantic, but marriages that are supposed to end when “death do us part,” are increasingly ending in divorce. Although you might enter into the marriage contract full of hope for the future conflicts may arise quite quickly. Conflicts arise from unmet expectation, and you might not even realize you have them until they are not met. Having high expectations of your partner might be a demonstration of your faith in them,…

You’re angry—a lot There are many types of anger, and it helps to figure out what type you’re expressing. A deep, subconscious fear of intimacy can rear its ugly head, showing up in response to a relationship that is becoming uncomfortably close, and one way this fear can manifest is via anger. “Constant explosions of anger indicate immaturity, and immature people cannot form intimate relationships,” says John Mayer, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Doctor On Demand. Everyone gets angry sometimes, but if you find feelings of anger bubbling up constantly, or inappropriately, a fear of intimacy may be lurking underneath. The fix may not be easy, or quick, but communicating…

How you see you I becomes we, me becomes us: that seemingly simple shift in pronouns can stir a whole mess of different emotions. “Couples are often surprised within that first year they have almost an identity crisis,” says Michelle S. Park, MA, licensed marriage and family therapist in NYC. Part of it may stem from the realization that your life is now intertwined with another; that you made what will hopefully be a lifetime commitment and are, in a sense, responsible to that person, she explains. Plus, there’s wrapping your head around what it means to be “husband and wife,” and who you are outside of that role, adds Park. For some couples, the…

Addictions don’t mix at all with marriage. The worst of all addictions is drug abuse or alcoholism. As drugs are not sold legally and openly, several people are addicts of alcohol. It is easy to access a beer when you feel like. If you have no control, you will go on increasing your daily intake. Before you know it, you will be a total addict that your spouse loathes.  When an addict is active, he or she totally disregards the needs and emotions of their spouse and other people who love them. They hurt the feelings of many, become irresponsible partners and expect to get loved unconditionally. Feeding their addiction…

We all have quirky traits, certain “flaws” that our partner knows about and has acknowledged at one point of the marriage. This does not mean that these behaviors can continue. Here are some tips on how to approach different habits that might be hurting your marriage.   Communicate about little annoying personal habits We all have little pet peeves, like leaving the toilet seat up, leaving clothes on the floor or not shutting the door. These are benign habits, but they can add up and cause an explosion in your partner leading to a larger conflict. By sharing what frustrations you have with each other, you both can become aware…

How to have intimate conversations? Often married couples fall into the habit of only talking about the everyday and necessary topics related to the home, kids, and finances. The long, intimate conversations you had when you first got together have been muffled by the routines of the daily life. These were the earnest conversations that created the strongest bonds between you and your partner, helped maintain romance and trust. Try exploring whether your marriage is lacking in this department. If it is, talk about how you both can prioritize this.   What to do if more time is needed to talk? Sometimes one partner in the marriage may desire more…