With exploding egos, stressful lifestyles and altering attitudes, the image of enduring marriage is crumbling. However, traditional prescriptions of love, communication and respect for each other hold good today, when men and women need each other even more than ever before

Make it work

Communicate

Listen, listen, listen. Listen patiently. And try to understand what your spouse is saying.

Avoid bashing those ideas even if you think the person is in the wrong. Save the criticism for later. Also, talk, talk, talk.

Tell the person everything you feel. To expect your partner to understand everything without being told is expecting too much.

Give Space

Made-for-each-other doesn’t imply binding each other.

You are two different people who need some personal space to develop as individuals.

Not only will it keep both zestful, it will also provide you with a lot more to keep your marriage bustling and breathing.

Fight fair

Fight your battle with your partner. It will only clear things up. But make it fair.

Trying to win a fight is not the solution. The idea should be to curb your anger and solve differences without letting arguments go out of control.

Don’t forget to throw the egos out of the window.

Avoid role playing

The husband can cook and the woman can earn.

Just because you are married, you don’t have to get caught into a daily rut of being husband and wife.

It is a partnership, not ownership.

Be patient

What you thought was endearing about your spouse when you were only dating, is probably the reason you are fighting.

Or you have discovered things about the person you think you would rather scoot for hell than witness.

Learn to work around them because expecting perfection from anyone is unrealistic and can get too demanding.

Get intimate

Get intimate With pleasure, good sex also conveys love and commitment.

It is a way to bond in private where you are leaving aside alien factors ravaging your relationship.

Think positive

There are pros and cons to every heartfelt relationship.

What you need to do is look at those positive aspects of your relationship that can further strengthen your marriage.

Simultaneously, work on the weaker points so they don’t surface too often.

Empathy

Get over ‘you said’ and ‘you did’. Look within and try putting yourself in the shoes of your partner.

It will give you a whole new perspective that you might need to work upon even if it means sacrificing your preferences.

Accept

If you think fighting over his alcoholism is the way out, you need a shift of paradigm.

Accepting the person for who he or she is, is more likely to change the person, lending security and belief to your love.

Fine-Tune

Everything has its tiding and ebbing. That doesn't imply you stop working on yor marriage.

You need to continue to foster love and resoect for a lasting bond. Make a journey of joyful growth.

Money affairs

'When money is tight, couples fight'.

The earning partner should not feel in control of the house for the support he or she is providing.

And the spendthrift should hold his reins if the other has sleepless nights over managing the finances.

Not enough? Resort to financial counselling.