Secrets to a Happy Marriage

You’ve said yes, and you’re wearing his ring.  But how do you know that your marriage will be happy? A happy marriage is not as elusive as you may think.  There are some specific things you can do to help ensure that your marriage thrives and remains healthy and happy past the honeymoon.

A happy marriage begins with your own feelings about yourself.  If you have a positive outlook on life, then you are likely to share that happiness with others.  Whatever your outlook may be, you can always work towards becoming the kind of person you would like to be.  Knowing and working on yourself and your own happiness is the first step to finding  happiness in your marriage.

Many people feel that you give up your individuality when you get married, and you become part of a team.  While you are now part of a team, it does not mean that you cannot have outside interests.  In fact, it is important that you look for fulfilling things outside of your marriage.  The key is to create a balance between your own personal time and your together time.  It is important to have things that you share with your spouse, yet it is equally important for you to maintain your own sense of individuality. 

If you have had other relationships, now is the time to say goodbye to them once and for all.  There is really no reason to stay ‘friends’ with a previous lover or partner, especially if it is threatening to your spouse.  Above all, your marriage should be more important than maintaining a friendship with a previous partner, and if it isn’t, you should rethink getting married.  You might not be ready to totally commit.

You should also take into account your family relationships.  If you are still buckling under to your parents’ pressure, you haven’t fully grown up and this immaturity will make it hard to put your spouse before your family in the future.

In order to have a happy marriage, you need to be able to put your marriage first and foremost above all other things.  This means your spouse and your marriage are more important than your parents, your friends, and even in a sense your own children.  Keeping the bond alive transcends the importance of everything else. This can be very hard to understand, but it will ultimately keep your marriage happy.

Keep your eyes open for the things that can detract from your marriage, and work to fix them.  Stress, lack of intimacy, poor communication and feeling underappreciated all create problems in a marriage.  If you can address these issues as they come up, you will help to keep your marriage strong and happy.