Do you feel like you’ve been stuck in your marriage for a while? Like no matter what you do, you feel trapped in your marriage? That is the worst feeling in the world. And, NO marriage should ever feel like that but just because it does, does NOT mean your marriage is over.
Just like everything else, marriage takes time, work, and a LOT of effort. There are simple things you and your spouse can do to take your marriage to a whole new level this year. If you’re ready to find out what they are, keep reading…
How to Take Your Marriage to a New Level
Spend time together
One of the most no-brainer ways to take your marriage to the next level this year is by spending time together. And, you might be wondering how this even ends up on this list, but did you know most married couples simply do not spend enough time together?
Just like everything else, you cannot flourish in your marriage without actually spending time in it. We spend so much time working and going out with our friends, that often the first thing we neglect is our spouses. This is a big problem in a marriage.
You know how whenever you are dating, you simply cannot get enough time with each other? Why does that change when we get married? It shouldn’t. Our spouses should be the most important person in our lives, other than God. They should be the ones that we cannot wait to spend time with after work and the ones we confide in. When we take each other for granted, we leave room for all these bad feelings to grow and open the door to allowing someone else to creep in.
Take an interest in each other
Do you know how many couples can’t even tell someone what their significant other does for a living? This is just sad and poses a big threat to a marriage. If you are not taking an interest in each other, how can you say you love each other? Ouch!
Marriage is about compromise. It does not matter if you don’t like fishing or have never liked going shopping. You should still be willing to take an interest in what your significant other likes to do. Sure, shopping with the girls can be fun, but there is a whole new level of intimacy when you go shopping and try on outfits for your spouse or go fishing and he helps you cast a line.
When you take an interest in one another, you learn more about each other and can build a stronger marriage because of it.
Put God in the center of your marriage
The big thing that ultimately changed Michael and my marriage was putting God in the center of it. When Michael and I fell in love with God, we found this whole new way of marriage. We learned to pray together, work together, and fight together.
Let’s talk prayer for a minute. Prayer is one of the most intimate things a couple can do together. Through prayer, bonds are strengthened and you learn to communicate together on a whole new level.
They say the couple that prays together stays together.
Be intimate together
When you feel stuck in your marriage, it’s often because you and your spouse are neglecting the one thing that seriously matters, intimacy.
Intimacy in a marriage is HUGE -and it’s often the one thing that many couples neglect. Intimacy needs to be a priority for marriage. Statistics show that regular sex in a marriage is linked to a lower divorce rate. When married couples partake in sex more often, it increases intimate feelings between one another and even offers benefits for physical and psychological health.
Ultimately, a marriage without sex is NOT a healthy one. When you and your spouse are not having regular sex with one another, often this will lead to extramarital affairs.
Support each other’s dreams
One of the worst things you can do in your marriage is rain on each other’s dreams. This will lead to resentment and in some cases, even hate for one another.
When you are married, you have to remember you are equal parts. One of you is NOT superior to the other. When decisions are made, they need to be done together and communicated thoroughly with one another.
Whenever one spouse feels superior to the other and shuts down the other’s dreams without communicating about them first, a wedge of resentment can be driven between them.
Love each other’s families
One thing many couples do to one another is refuse to love each other’s families. When Michael and I got married, I remember complaining to my mom about something Michael’s family did and my mom gave me the best marriage advice. She said, “Crystal, would you be acting like that if it was me or your dad?”
It was then that I realized, she was completely right. I was being petty over Michael’s family when I totally would not have blinked twice if it was my family. When you learn to love each other’s families as your own, you open a whole new realm of love into your house.
When you find yourself stuck in a marriage, it can be hard to pull your marriage out of the ‘rut’. These tips and tricks will not magically fix your marriage, but they will help your marriage.
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Last Updated on 3 years ago by Crystal Carder