Good Relationship Advice From Surprising Sources

When I posted the previous blog post on marriage as a stress relief tool on the About Stress Management Facebook page, someone said what many people were thinking, and hinted that marriage can be a major cause of stress as well. That's why it's important to have tools to weather the difficulties of long-term love. I've shared my own best tips on how to handle common marriage problems from a stress management perspective, but I also wanted to hear my readers' best advice, and so far, I've gotten about 30 great responses. Here's one of my favorites:

"I've been married 36 yrs. to my "high school sweetheart." Been together since I was 15 & he was 16! Don't keep score (as in "I changed the last dirty diaper or picked up the dry cleaning"). Keeping score can lead you to do things grudgingly & not w/a loving attitude. Laugh a lot & have "inner jokes" such as my husband will say, "Why don't you put some lipstick on?" when he is really suggesting having sex. One Xmas we were broke & he gave me a tube of lipstick for a gift. Our kids were teenagers & didn't know the real message he was sending me. I blushed & hugged him & told him how much I loved the color! Be loyal. NEVER criticize your spouse in public. I'm amazed how many spouses HUMILIATE their partner at a dinner party or other public function. COMPLIMENT your spouse in public often. Tell others how great he is (good father, won the tennis tournament, etc.). Make your spouse shine. Give your spouse focused attention when having a conversation. Turn off computer, etc."
--Wifey

From saving money to buy her chocolate, to treating him like the president, I've gotten some fun, interesting, and just plain good relationship advice from other readers in my Reader Response article on happy marriage tips. Stop by and enjoy, and please leave your own best advice as well--it can be advice you've gleaned from experience, or something you heard from someone that resonated with you; just share what's worth sharing!

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