What is in marriage that makes people want to commit their life and future to it, despite the continuing challenges?

The answer is simple: the joy of going through life with the person you love. While marriage poses countless challenges, it also remains a potential source of great personal happiness. Happiness is the crux of life.

It is, however, undeniable that marital conflicts can stand in the way of marital happiness. The key is to resolve them, particularly the crucial ones. While complicated issues can cause deep wounds that are not easy to heal, it is not impossible with the assistance of a marriage counselor. This is why it is important to know when to call for help.

Beyond Happiness: The Benefits of Marriage

Aside from the benefit of being with the one you love, a National Bureau of Economic Research study reveals that married people tend to achieve greater satisfaction than those who stay unmarried. The study also supports the idea that “marriage itself contributes to happiness” with friendship as a mechanism that links satisfaction to it. In fact, many psychologists believe that the state of marriage can be used as the “single most reliable happiness indicator.”

The post in the Daily Signal that cites this study also mentions other benefits of marriage. “For instance, married adults tend to live longer and be healthier.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supports this idea, saying that marriage can foster better health: married couples are less likely to drink or smoke, suffer from emotional conditions, or experience recurrent headaches than unmarried people.

Married people also tend to be more motivated and productive, so they earn more and can better support their families. Thus, being married also plays an important role in the well-being and lives of children.

The Conflicts That Burden Your Marriage

Conflicts in a marriage usually arise over topics such as money, parenting, work, and housework. Differences of opinion can’t be avoided—they are as natural and healthy as breathing and living—but yes, they can trigger conflicts.

The key is to resolve the issues through a healthy process—marriage counseling. Unfortunately, when you are in the midst of a conflict, you may become too passionate and defensive, forgetting that sustaining a loving relationship is more important than “winning” or saying, “I am right and you’re wrong.” You or your spouse may just give in or escape the scene, because that’s easier than asserting yourself. You or your spouse may also hide or manipulate facts, defy the other person, or stay meek just so the argument will end.

While these responses can certainly bring a type of peace, they aren’t healthy because the conflicts can’t be resolved in the way they should. They can grow and gnaw at your thoughts and emotions. Eventually they may seek a way out and erupt like a volcano, triggering worse and bigger conflicts.

How Marriage Counseling Can Help

Resolving marital issues is crucial to an enduring marriage and can keep your marriage a source of personal happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, and the other benefits of a happy union. Talking about problems with your spouse is good. If it isn’t working the way it used to, or you can’t seem to make any progress because one person is unresponsive or the issues are too complicated, seek the help of a professional marriage counselor.

It isn’t unusual for couples in conflict to end up arguing whenever they try to talk. If you are exchanging too many painful words that fuel more passionate exchanges and fail to resolve what needs to be addressed, you may need marriage counseling. The right counselor can provide a secure and neutral venue for productive exchanges and resolution.

Counseling can also help you develop a deeper understanding of your concerns and your spouse’s feelings. Understanding can beget appreciation, compassion, and feelings of emotional closeness. All these can inspire you to find new ways of doing things to resolve the old issues troubling your marriage. Most importantly, the desire and inspiration to improve for the better can make you and your spouse take positive action.

Call Carolina Counseling Services – Southern Pines, NC

Unresolved conflict can test your relationship and shake its integrity and foundation. It can become a source of great dissatisfaction and unhappiness, making life miserable. If you want your marriage to be a source of happiness and satisfaction again, transform your conflicts to make them healthy and positive. Resolve your marital issues with a marriage counselor independently contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – Southern Pines, NC.

This may not be easy, especially when your issues are complicated, but it is doable with a marriage counselor contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – Southern Pines, NC. Achieve a happier marriage that is resilient in the face of conflict and founded on your love, trust, and respect for each other. Call now for your appointment.