Updated August 26, 2024
Do you envy other couples because they seem to have a happier marriage than you do?
You might be wondering if you will ever be able to have this kind of fulfilling relationship with your spouse. You might be wondering what makes a strong marriage because you are worried about yours or because you do not feel fulfilled.
Anyone Can Have A Strong Marriage
Any couple can have a happy and fulfilling relationship. The key is to truly commit to each other and to work on the relationship every day of your life. Your marriage will go through different stages as you and your spouse get older and your marriage will grow if you nurture it. You need to take care of each other, work towards some common goal and learn to deal with the issues that will arise throughout the years.
Communication Is Key
You cannot have a healthy marriage if you are unable to respectfully communicate with your spouse. You need to create a space where you and your spouse can tell each other anything and be accepted. Many couples are not able to come to this way of being without outside help or input. Some people learn through marriage retreats or marriage classes.
Never judge your spouse and always show respect. Developing strong communication skills will help you deal with issues without fighting and you will be able to express the feelings you have towards each other more easily. Don’t hesitate to take a break and to come back to a discussion later if you feel that things are getting too heated or negatively emotional.
Following are tips to help strengthen your marriage. But first, check out my FREE ebook on having a healthy marriage.
Become More Giving
You and your spouse need to be able to bring something to the marriage. You need to put each other’s needs first and should also work on developing a rich and fulfilling personal life outside of the marriage. This can include pursuing some interests or socializing with friends.
Your marriage will be more interesting and you will feel more fulfilled if you and your spouse both become giving people. You and your spouse might have to overcome some personal issues so that you can both adopt this more positive attitude.
Being involved in matters that are bigger than yourselves will also give you both a purpose beyond yourselves.
Sharing Is Important
You will share many things as a married couple. You will share a lot of time together, but you should also share common interests and goals. Sharing means talking about your feelings, experiencing new things together and learning to enjoy life.
Laughing is important and will help you connect with your spouse even as you grow older. You should be able to share your thoughts with your spouse, spend time on activities that you both enjoy and try new things together. Don’t hesitate to schedule many of these things if they are not a part of your routine.
Building a good marriage is something that will be a lifelong process. It is important to understand that it is not too late to start investing more time and effort into your marriage if you and your spouse are not satisfied with the strength of your marriage at this point. It is important to talk with each other about your marriage and to decide on how you can begin now to invest more time and energy on your marriage!
Waverly Hanson
Marriage Counselor & Author
In my personal life, I have had a long successful marriage and have remarried following my husband's death. I have had three sons and helped raise a niece for three years and have seven grandchildren. I have loved spending time with them as they were growing up.
I also enjoy getting together with family and friends, ATVing in the mountains, photography, hiking, and traveling. I also enjoy reading, creating art, decorating, and serving others by volunteering.
Assisting couples in rebuilding their marriages has been so rewarding as I've had the privilege of seeing hundreds of couples reunite and get back to being positively connected to one another.
I also work with personal development and those who want to move forward by making positive improvements such as goal setting, self-care, boundaries, behavioral improvements, overcoming procrastination, conflict management, etc.