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Marriage Advice: Seven Marriage Myths You Can't Afford to Ignore
If you're like most people, you probably entered into marriage with a number of unchallenged assumptions in place. These assumptions may have been about what marriage is and entails, about love, or about your spouse. While you may have already bumped into reality concerning some of your assumptions, you still may be operating with others firmly in place. Why should you be concerned if this is the case? Because what you aren't aware of can blindside you down the marital road, that's why. Life throws in enough surprises on its own, so you don't want to be caught off guard unnecessarily. The following misguided assumptions can get you into trouble in your marriage. Review them for a quick reality check: 1. You should always feel loving toward your spouse. It's not realistic to think that you'll always have loving feelings toward your spouse. There are occasions when Lee and I are upset with each other and we don't like each other very much. We may have to make an effort to remind ourselves of the other person's positive traits. At those times, we know that underneath all of our upset feelings we still love each other, but the predominant feelings we're experiencing are anger and hurt. And it's difficult to feel loving when you're frustrated, feeling resentful, or harboring anger toward your spouse. That's when it's vitally important to clear the air as soon as possible so you can be in harmony with your spouse and get those loving feelings back. 2. Love should consistently feel the same way. Feelings vary in intensity over time. It's just not possible to experience forever the ecstatic feelings that can be there when a relationship is new and you've just fallen in love. At that time, every sensation is ultra intense and heightened. But the feelings associated with the initial or honeymoon period of every relationship eventually change. Love deepens and grows in different ways. Of course, there are still wonderful high's, but there are other feelings in the cycle of love that you also experience-a rhythmic waning and waxing of desire, the enjoyment of companionship, and the comfortableness of knowing someone well and sharing a history together. Love has many faces and produces a variety of feelings during a marriage. 3. Your spouse should just "know" what you need without you having to tell him or her. It's not unusual to feel that if your spouse really loved you, he or she would somehow be aware of your needs and desires without having to ask you. But in reality, most of us do rather poorly when we try to second guess someone else or try to "read their mind." This particular assumption leads to many hurt feelings in a marriage. "He should have known that I wouldn't want to celebrate my birthday with his family." Or "She should have known that all I wanted from her was a little understanding and sympathy." When this happens, spouses often erroneously conclude that their spouse must not love them or they would have been more tuned in to their wishes and needs. But the responsibility to let your spouse know what you need and want ultimately rests on you. Give your partner feedback and clues so he or she can have the information needed to make different choices. 4. If you really love each other, keeping a loving relationship shouldn't take much work. I've heard this or statements similar to this numerous times. But the sobering reality is that relationships always take a lot of work. It's a challenge to keep the communication channels clear of debris and residue from disagreements. It takes time and effort to follow up by checking with the other person to be sure that things aren't building up under the surface and that everything is truly okay now. This process can be compared to housecleaning. You can clean the house one week, but by the next week it needs cleaning again. It's a constant cycle-the same is true in a marriage relationship. What you ignore doesn't just go away; it stays right where it is, waiting for more dust or debris to collect on top of it. 5. Being married lets you off the hook in the romance department and sets you up in the sex department. This assumption has tripped many spouses up. As a counselor, many times I've heard the statement, "But I thought now that we're married, I didn't have to do all of that romantic stuff I used to do." Often this is said when the marriage problems are already serious and the marriage is in crisis. It just makes good sense to take the offensive and make the effort to find ways to be romantic throughout your marriage. If you do, you'll be accumulating those "good will" bank deposits or "brownie points" that Lee likes to talk about. And as for thinking that marriage assures you of unlimited great sex without any extra effort on your part, that's a fantasy. Emotional intimacy sets the stage for great sex and depends on good communication, plus a host of other qualities such as sensitivity and empathy, all of which take work. 6. Your spouse will speak up and tell you if he or she is unhappy in the marriage. This is an assumption which has been the undoing of many marriages. The reality is that numerous spouses are uncomfortable with anger and are afraid that expressing it will damage the relationship. So they try to bury their feelings and pretend that everything is okay. It pays to be observant and pay attention to your spouse's tone of voice and non-verbal communication. It also pays to learn to disagree without attacking each other and to be respectful even when you don't understand how your spouse could possibly have such odd ideas. When you create a safe environment for discussing your real feelings, you increase the likelihood that your spouse will gain the courage to share from the heart with you. You can help this process by taking the lead in making yourself vulnerable by sharing your real feelings in a respectful way. 7. The commitment expressed in your wedding vows is enough to sustain your relationship. The commitment you made to your spouse and marriage on your wedding day was certainly important-and it counts for a lot. But it's not enough. It's all-too-easy to treat the marriage commitment as a one-time thing, when the reality is that a satisfying, healthy relationship requires daily commitment-over and over again, day by day. It's similar to what individuals do who are successful in 12-step programs for sobriety-they recommit to their sobriety each day. The recovering alcoholic may say, "Just for today, I'm sober, with God's help." The spouse with a successful marriage makes a daily commitment, also, even if it's unspoken-"Today I will honor my marriage and be the best supportive partner I can be." It's that level of daily dedication and commitment that makes the difference in marriages that make it and those that don't. Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-author of Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says "I don't love you anymore!" This is available at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com, where you can also sign up for the free weekly Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine to get ideas and support for improving your marriage.
MORE RESOURCES: Every Time Jennifer Lopez Played a Bride on Screen Through the Years: From ‘The Wedding Planner’ to ‘Marry Me’ Yahoo! Voices Rita Ora Recreates Wedding in ‘You Only Love Me’ Video as She Confirms Taika Waititi Marriage Rolling Stone On the Fifth Try, a First Date to Remember The New York Times Newly married Athiya Shetty papped for the first time post wedding with KL Rahul; Watch VIDEO PINKVILLA Some questions about the Bidens' 1977 Catholic wedding Catholic World Report I'm Getting Married! But How Can I Afford the Wedding? Yahoo Finance Shotgun Weddings Were Not That Unusual Back in the Day The Philadelphia Tribune Ask Amy: Our wedding photos revealed the scene I had missed The Mercury News KL Rahul-Athiya Shetty wedding: How much tax will the newly-married couple pay for expensive wedding gifts? Zee Business Leon County Clerk offering free Valentine's Day wedding ceremony Tallahassee Democrat With Their Wedding, a Place of Pain Becomes a Site of Love The New York Times ‘Forced marriage is painful’: bride’s wedding breakdown in China goes viral South China Morning Post Model Jodie Kidd has still not fixed a date for her wedding more than a year after she got engaged Daily Mail Sidharth Malhotra dances with bride at Delhi wedding, shyly changes subject when asked about his marriage with Kiara Advani. Watch The Indian Express Kim Kardashian and Kanye West keep distance as he brings new 'wife' Bianca Censori to kids' game Daily Mail Marriage delayed from losing $17000 to job scam, victim worries ... The Straits Times Shreya Ghoshal's Brother Gets Married In A Spectacular 'Two States Wedding', Bride Looks Prettiest BollywoodShaadis.com Hrithik Roshan And Saba Azad's Marriage: Couple Going To Get Married In A Secret Wedding In 2023 BollywoodShaadis.com Bhopal: Wedding photographer robbed of valuables worth Rs 4 lakh Free Press Journal How Couples Are Incorporating Pickeball Into Their Weddings The New York Times The President and First Lady Announce the Marriage of their ... The White House After a First Date at Popeyes, Marriage Was on the Menu The New York Times Your dream wedding might not be legal – time to update England's old-fashioned marriage laws The Conversation Indonesia Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Whether Wedding Website ... Ogletree Deakins The Best Wedding Planning Tips for Older Couples or Second ... Katie Couric Media Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act. It's not without its ... Pennsylvania Capital-Star ‘Still Growing Together,’ a Teenage Crush Leads to Marriage The New York Times New Services Allow a ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Approach to Weddings The New York Times In step toward civil marriage, Jerusalem court accepts ‘Zoom weddings’ from Utah The Times of Israel The Branded Marriage of Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker The New York Times Tradition Was Never Their Thing. Why Start With a Wedding? The New York Times Marriage Was Not in His Plan, Divine Intervention Changed That The New York Times Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Wed in Las Vegas The New York Times Biden’s Granddaughter to Hold Wedding on White House’s South Lawn The New York Times |
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