Whether you’ve been married for 30 days or 30 years, you’ve made a life-changing commitment to another person. Marriage can be beautiful, frustrating, amazing, annoying, and everything in between. One thing all of us eventually learn about life is that it does not stand still! Our experience in the world is full of surprises and new experiences, some of them more positive than others. As the saying goes, “change is constant.”
One thing all of us eventually learn about life is that it does not stand still! Our experience in the world is full of surprises and new experiences, some of them more positive than others. As the saying goes, “change is constant.” This is certainly true of marriage. As the years pass, we change, our spouses will change, and our marriage will change. Your relationship is not going to stay the way it was when you first met each other, or even the way it was when you first married.
So, how can people in relationships learn to live with and accept change—and come out stronger on the other side?
Accepting people does not itself mean agreeing with them, approving of them, waiving your own rights, or downplaying their impact upon you. You can still take appropriate actions to protect or support yourself or others. Or you can simply let people be. Either way, you accept the reality of the other person. You may not like it, you may not prefer it, you may feel sad or angry about it, but at a deeper level, you are at peace with it. That alone is a clear understanding of differences in a couple. And sometimes, your shift to acceptance can help things get better.
“Being in a long marriage is a little bit like that nice cup of coffee every morning – I might have it every day, but I still enjoy it.”
Stephen Gaines
Take advantage of our research-based relationship workshop, ELEVATE, and find out. Discover skills and techniques to reinvest in your marriage. Remember why you love that cup of coffee every morning!
To register for your free classes call 941-722-4524 or on our easy-to-use website at SMARTcouples.org.
For more information visit https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/manatee/
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