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Marriage Conflict

The reactive cycle of arguments. This couple sitting outside arguing

Breaking The Reactive Cycle

Someone just “pushed your buttons” and you’re ready to push back. That’s the Reactive Cycle. But is there a better way to handle conflict?

A young wife and husband sit in their dim restaurant after hours, looking at a report of their business that they are running together. Running a business requires humility, wisdom, and compromise. Could marriage partners also be business partners?

Can Spouses Work Together As Business Partners?

Running a business, just like marriage, requires humility, wisdom, and compromise. Here some key principles to guide you if you and your spouse run a small business together.

A woman sits on the couch with here back turned to her husband, arms crossed in front of her chest with an annoyed look on her face. Her husband sits with his back turned to her with his chin on his hands as if frustrated. After being married for a while, your spouse’s patterns can turn from cute quirks to annoying habits. Knowing how to cope is important.

Coping With Your Spouse’s Annoying Habit

After being married for a while, your spouse’s patterns can turn from cute quirks to annoying habits. Figuring out how to cope so that you don’t become highly critical of your spouse is important.

A man and a woman sit on a couch, arms folded, angrily turned away from each other. Have you ever wondered if you and your spouse are under spiritual attack or if your spouse is just a jerk?

Is This a Spiritual Attack, or Is My Spouse Just a Jerk?

Spiritual attacks and normal growth issues are happening all the time. Here are some things to consider if you’re wondering why your relationship is going through some rough patches.

A young couple walk arm-in-arm down a pathway in a park surrounded by trees. How can you fix an unhappy marriage? Learn how you can develop effective, yet simple habits for marital happiness.

Unhappy Marriage? Fix It with These Simple Habits for Marital Happiness

If you find yourself in an unhappy marriage, try these five simple things. If you and your spouse make these habits last, it will be a turning point in your relationship.

An angry woman sits at the end of a couch, clearly angry with the bearded man sitting on the other end of the couch. There is plenty of motivation to learn how to deal with anger in your marriage effectively. Here are a few scenarios to consider.

Dealing With Anger in Your Marriage

Marriage provides motivation to learn how to manage anger, which often stems from other emotions: hurt, fear or frustration. Here are some healthy ways to deal with anger in your marriage.

A woman sits on a couch with her husband, comforting him after and argument. Don't let your spouse make you angry. When you feel strong emotion (a reaction), slow down and decide what to do next (a response).

Don’t Let Your Spouse Make You Angry

No one-including our spouse-can control the way you feel. The next time you react emotionally or in anger, take a step back and acknowledge that while the emotion is real, how you respond to it is up to you.

A couple sits on a couch, heads in hands, backs turned to each other, and clearly annoyed with each other. Spouses can become rivals in politically divided marriages.

How to Avoid a Politically Divided Marriage

How do you avoid a politically divided marriage when the person on the other side of your bed is also on the other side of the political aisle?

A man and a woman, in silhouette, sit on a box, backs to each other, arms folded. In these divided time, navigating political issue in marriage is important to maintaining relationships.

Navigating Political Issues as a Married Couple

Political issues can be challenging in any relationship, but they’re especially challenging for a married couple. No matter how serious your political differences may be, those differences should never impact your marriage covenant.

A couple sits on the beach under a yellow umbrella. Summer vacations can't fix all marriage problems, but you can use the optimism of summer to address deeper issues.

Can Summer Vacations Fix Marriage Problems?

Thinking that summertime fun will fix your marriage problems is unrealistic. But you can use the optimism of the season to improve your relationship.

A couple sits next to each other on a couch, holding each other's hands tenderly in a marriage challenged by mental illness.

Hope for a Marriage Challenged by Mental Illness

Nearly 50 million Americans are affected by mental illness. Navigating mental health conditions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a confusing and draining experience for spouses. But this does not mean the end of your marriage — there is hope for your marriage even if it is riddled with mental illness.

A man comforts his sad wife. Here's how to help a depressed spouse.

How to Help a Depressed Spouse

It’s not easy to know how to help a depressed spouse, but this advice can get you started.

Managing Conflict with your in-laws is very important. Here we see a harmonious family with two in-laws, a young couple and their two kids.

Managing Conflict With In-Laws

You don’t just marry your spouse … you marry their family. And that can be difficult. Learn how to set healthy boundaries and love your in-laws.

A frustrated woman lying in bed covers her ears with a pillow while her husband snores loudly beside her, symbolizing the struggle of dealing with your spouse’s character flaws.

Your Spouse’s Flaws – How and When to Give Grace

What should you do if your spouse’s flaws drive you crazy? Give grace? Or should you confront it because it’s missing God’s mark?

A man and a woman sit next to each other on a couch, with the man looking away off in the distance while the woman lowers her head and wipes away tears.

Should I Stay Or Go?: When Marriage Vows Are Betrayed

If you’re struggling with the difficult choice of whether to stay in a less than perfect marriage, the answer you seek feels heartbreakingly complicated. Because it is.

A young couple discussing a crisis or an issue they're having.

ADHD and Marriage: How to Handle Common Conflict Patterns

When ADHD and marriage go together, you can face repeating conflict patterns. But you can lessen those patterns and strengthen your marriage.

An angry young couple sit on a couch engaged in a heated argument.

What Does the Bible Say about Fighting in Marriage?

It’s normal to have conflict — and it’s unavoidable. According to the Bible, what matters most is how you handle the fighting in your marriage.

Photo of a woman's arms holding off a man's arms in a struggle.

What Is Sexual Abuse in Marriage?

Darby Strickland, a counselor and teacher at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, defines sexual abuse in marriage and explains how wives are oppressed in this way.

A small red toy fire truck holds wooden blocks spelling out “LOVE,” symbolizing the strength and importance of love in a first responder marriage.

15 Tips To Resuscitate Your First Responder Marriage

All relationships take work, but your first responder marriage may make the Jones’ look like a coffee-fetching “internship.”

Childhood trauma

Is Childhood Trauma Impacting Your Marriage?

Each person comes to their wedding with a unique set of life experiences and levels of childhood trauma that impact the marriage relationship.