Member Article

Managing Marriage between Work Life and Home Life

When a couple gets married after falling in love, it is not uncommon for an imbalance between work life and home life to occur. For many people, even those who choose to cohabitate prior to getting married, being a newlywed couple is challenging. Marriage brings with it the difficulty of trying to establish a new routine and adapt to new roles and expectations. Here are a few ways to incorporate a new balance in life after marriage. Open communication above all else.

One of the key factors in any marriage, especially those in which both partners work full time, is open communication. Many couples who experience discontent in their marriage will acknowledge that communication is lacking on both sides of the relationship. Typically, no one person is at fault, but it is the responsibility of both the partners to ensure that effort is being made to clearly and concisely communicate needs and desires to one another. One of the easiest ways to encourage open communication is to be honest about problems and things you are pleased with, and to take the time to share the concerns with each other at the end of the day. Assertive communication also means not becoming overly angry when your partner is choosing to engage in open communication rather than secrecy and hiding.

Limit using electronic devices during quality time.

In the age of technology that we live in, it is very easy to become distracted by electronic devices. In order to ensure a balance between work life and home life, it is important to disregard any and all devices during the time spent together. Other than a few exceptional times, put away cell phones, turn off the TV (unless of course you’re watching a movie or television show together), and turn off all laptops and tablets. Rather than spending that time with a device in front of your face, it is important to spend that time with the person that you love and care for the most. Quality time together also means sometimes sacrificing what you would prefer to do and instead do something your partner would like to do.

Exercise together.

While this option is not for all couples, it is important to maintain a proper amount of exercise for health reasons. Therefore, it seems to be a simple answer that a couple who exercises together will likely work better together in the relationship. Exercise promotes healthy metabolism, heart and brain function, immune system, and musculoskeletal system. A healthy body also promotes a healthy mind and balanced hormones and emotions. Couples who engage in exercise, report better communication and also better sexual intimacy. Exercise can have a number of benefits, so why not add a healthy relationship to that list!

Create a routine that works.

When you first get married, it can be difficult to create a new routine for the both of you. The two of you have likely been so used to being independent that it can be difficult to learn how to mesh those two schedules and routines together. With couples who have never lived with one another, this is especially difficult; part of this is due to the nature of living with another individual, and part of it is the emotional piece of a couple’s relationship in marriage. Creating a routine that works for the two of you is about compromise and establishing a routine that works for both the partners in the marriage.

Schedule time for one another.

Last, but certainly not the least, is the need to make time for one another. All of the other options listed above are worthless and mean nothing if the two of you have not created time in your schedule for one another. The marriage exists because each of you had a desire to spend each day of the rest of your lives together. Your spouse should get the best of your time – not the leftovers. Remember to always put your partner first, and all of the other things will come easily.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by sylviasmith .