Have you ever gotten so stressed out that it hurt your marriage? Overloaded family schedules, under-funded bank accounts, mountains of maintenance, stuff that needs to be done around the house, parenting pressures, not to mention the little bits of stress that we import every day from our day. Jobs all take a toll on our marriage and family relationships.
These negative effects of stress are obvious. We get barky and snarky, we retreat, we eat, we blame. We feel overwhelmed, we’re tired, irritable, and yes, we have a headache. We’re in a bad place and we want to get out of there quickly, but we’re not sure how.
So let’s look at some ways we can deal with the stress in our marriages…
The first thing we want to do is what Jesus did too…get away to a quiet place, sit down in a relaxing place, and talk about what both of you are experiencing and feeling during this conversation. Make a list of the things that are stressing you out. Attack the issues, not your spouse. And be sure to apologize and forgive each other and to reaffirm your love for one another.
Second, prioritize your list. Which items are creating the most stress for both of you? Which ones are the most urgent and need to be done now? Which ones can wait? Which ones can we delegate to someone else?
Third, develop a strategy for tackling the tasks that are on your list. Assign items and look for ways to share the load. It’s going to make things easier and keep your expectations reasonable.
Now, spend some time praying together. Ask God to help you discern what to do to ease the stresses in your life and to help you stay committed to your marriage. Let him know your needs. Paul tells us in Philippians that God will supply all of our needs according to his riches and glory. And then be sure to set a time to touch base after you’ve successfully tackled some of the items, to tweak your plans and to celebrate your victories.
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Have you ever gotten so stressed out that it hurt your marriage?
