People feel overwhelmed by life; they're overloaded and stressed. And it's hurting their marriages.
Did you know that fifty-two percent of couples struggle to maintain work-life balance?
Chances are, you’re a spouse, parent and an employee, not to mention your volunteerism.
You’re doing your best to juggle everything. Your days start early and end late. And you're doing more than is humanly possible. But you don't have the time you'd like for your marriage and family. And there's certainly not any time left over for yourself.
This is a recipe for frustration, resentment and bitterness, not to mention stress-induced illness.
It’s a pressure cooker lifestyle that builds and builds until we vent steam all over our spouse, scalding them with our unhappiness. And although letting off steam
makes us feel better, it stresses our marriage after a while.
This topic is so important that I'm dividing it into two parts by offering three tips this week and three more next week on how to manage work/life stress in the home.
Part 1: Three Tips To Avoid Bringing Work Stress Home
1. Vent
occasionally
Sure, coming home in the evening and venting all night about your job and horrible boss makes you feel better. But your spouse can reach the point where they feel all you do is complain and are never happy.
It’s nice to remember that your spouse is dealing with their share of work/life stress, too. So be selective about what you choose to share.
Also, limit how much time is spent complaining about work. If you complain about work
immediately upon returning home, don’t talk about it for the rest of the night.
2. Unwind
Take a few minutes after work to relax and unwind; it doesn't have to be long.
This simple ritual will make you feel so much better.
When you get home, change clothes, take a shower, listen to your favorite music for a few minutes and then decide what you want to share with your spouse about work.
Not only will
you complain much less, you’ll be more receptive to hearing about your spouse’s work day.
3. Balance the negative with the positive
When discussing your job with your spouse, balance the negative with the positive. No matter how bad your job is, there are some good things about it, like putting food on the table or providing a roof for your family, etc. What are some benefits you could be happy about if you wanted to be?
That's enough for now; I’ll share three more tips next week about how to manage work/life stress so as to limit its harmful effects on your marriage.
Until next week, this is Mike Tucker and I want YOU to be mad about
marriage!
================================================================
You are receiving this email because you either signed up at www.MadAboutMarriage.com/marriage-tips or attended a Mad About Marriage event recently. You may unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.
================================================================
