Maintaining a marriage can sometimes be difficult, and when you add a variety of anxiety and stress it compounds the situation. Here is a list of techniques and suggestions that may assist in managing these feelings in your marriage:
- Don’t Overreact: When you encounter uncomfortable situations, remember to get all the facts of the given situation. Gathering the facts can prevent you from relying on exaggerated and fearful assumptions.
- Take a Break: When you are stressed out take a deep breath and find something to do for a few minutes to get your mind off of the problem; this will give you time to get a fresh perspective on things.
- Use Good Judgement: Be smart in how you deal with stress, do not try to tackle everything all at once; break your tasks into a series of smaller steps. By completing smaller tasks one at a time the stress becomes more manageable.
- Focus on the Positive: Make a list of all that you enjoy about your marriage and then if you ever feel anxious or fearful, review your list to remind yourself of why you married this person.
- Develop Goals: Developing daily goals will help you manage your fears because goals help us to focus on something other than our anxieties.
- Manage Your Negative Thinking: It is important to learn how to overcome your negative and fearful thinking. When this happens remind yourself that worry exaggerates the problems you have and that things will get better with a positive attitude.
- Ask for Help: Sometimes, it helps to be able to talk to someone about our stressful situations. Talking to a trusted friend, counselor, or clergyman can make us feel better with their advice and insights on how to deal with our problem.
BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non-Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to www.managingfear.com.
