Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMoney ProblemsChildcare IssuesDaily StressBusy SchedulesPoor CommunicationHarmful Behaviors

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Table of Contents

Money Problems

Childcare Issues

Daily Stress

Busy Schedules

Poor Communication

Harmful Behaviors

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Marriage can offer wonderful benefits for well-being, life satisfaction, andstress management,but no relationship is without its challenges. The common problems of marriage can put a strain on a couple, but there’s a choice in how to handle these issues.

The following are some of the most common sources ofmarital stressand marriage problems, as well as insights on how to address them.

The Best Online Marriage Counseling Programs

Disagreements about money are one of the most common marriage problems couples face. Almost a third of adults with partners in the United States reported money as a source of conflict in their relationships.

The following may become money problems in a marriage:

Generally speaking, when couples engage in conflicts about money, their dispute is really symbolic of something different—such as power struggles, or different values and needs.

When one partner is extremelystressed about money, they may be less patient or more irritable; they may then pick fights with the other partner about unrelated things without even realizing it.

Finding a Solution

Try having an honest conversation with your partner. What are each of your expectations when it comes to spending and saving every month? Remember, it’s about reaching a compromise (within your financial means) so that both of you feel comfortable, but not restricted.

Try dividing the labor. Maybe one partner focuses on household spending and the other on saving money one month, and the next month, you switch.

Financial Stress: How to Cope

Having children can be a wonderful experience that brings with it feelings of well-being and purpose.However, it can also be challenging and may putextra strain on a marriage.

Some marriage problems that can arise after having children include:

Even if it’s just for a couple of hours, try to take a break from your roles as “parents” to remember your roles as “spouses.” This will give you time to reconnect with each other.

While many parents make their child’s happiness a priority, it’s important to keep in mind that happiness between parents and in the home plays a significant role in the development of a child’s personality, intelligence, creativity, and emotional health.

In other words, happier parents often equals happier kids.

Delegating household tasks is important as well. You and your spouse can come up with a schedule where you both take on a fair amount of childcare duties, so they don’t all fall on one parent.

Daily stressors don’t need to become marriage problems, but sometimes, they do.

We all deal with annoyances like getting stuck in traffic, being late to work, or getting nervous about a big deadline coming up. But in a marriage, these stressors can create a “spillover” effect, especially if one person comes home after a hard day and projects onto their partner, perhaps getting angry or being impatient.

When one partner has had a stressful day, they may have less emotional energy to devote tonurturing their relationship. When both partners have had a difficult day, this, of course, is only exacerbated.

As with financial stress, generaldaily stresscan test patience and optimism, leaving couples with less energy to give to one another.

Does your partner come home and vent about their problems—but that makesyoufeel stressed, too? Or do they shut down completely and emotionally withdraw?

This is all about knowing and respecting boundaries. Maybe you both set a rule thatventing can only last 10 minutesso that it doesn’t increase the stress levels at home. Or, maybe you learn to respect each other’s alone time when either of you needs a chance to cool off.

It’s important that both of you have your own ways of de-stressing so you can bring your best selves to the relationship.

Marriage problems can result from overly busy schedules for a few reasons:

Whilebusy schedulesdon’t automatically lead to marriage problems, they do present a challenge that needs to be worked through.

It’s also helpful to try new things together. Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a member of the Verywell Mind Review Board, says, “Embarking in novel experiences has many positive effects. The excitement causes us to rate the experience more favorably. You can also displace the familiar and worn-out roles you occupy with your partner.”

Dr. Romanoff also recommends exercising together, if possible. She says, “The rise in endorphin levels after exercise creates neural pathways that link these behaviors with positive emotions and each other.”

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyDBy exercising together, you can discover unforeseen strengths in each other, which can lead to a newfound appreciation of your partner.

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD

By exercising together, you can discover unforeseen strengths in each other, which can lead to a newfound appreciation of your partner.

Healthy Lifestyle Habits That Minimize Stress

Perhaps the biggest predictor of marriage problems ispoor communicationor negative communication that belies damaging attitudes and dynamics within the relationship.

So, how do you improve communication in your marriage? Try out the following:

How to Improve Your Relationships With Healthy Communication

Some marriage problems could be solved if each partner pays more attention to their unproductive habits and works toward changing them.

People don’t always make a conscious decision to argue over petty things, nag and be critical, or leave messes for the other to clean, for example. They get busy, stress builds, and they go on autopilot. Then, they find themselves following the same patterns they hadn’t realized they were choosing in the first place.

Some habits you or your partner might’ve developed that actually take a toll on the relationship could be:

Changing Yourself to Please Your Partner

Of course, if your partner encourages you to quit smoking or take advantage of new opportunities, change can be good. But if you feel like you have to be an entirely different person for your partner, chances are you need to reevaluate the relationship.

Dr. Romanoff weighs in: “Making personal changes should always be a net positive. This means changes in one aspect of the self or relationship should ultimately create more positive collectively in the relationship and for each person.”

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyDYou should never change yourself in ways that are hurting you or exclusively for the happiness of your partner because this isn’t sustainable. Either the change can’t be maintained or you will become so resentful that it will manifest in additional problems.

You should never change yourself in ways that are hurting you or exclusively for the happiness of your partner because this isn’t sustainable. Either the change can’t be maintained or you will become so resentful that it will manifest in additional problems.

Disrespecting Your Partner

Married couples often get in the habit of nagging, criticizing, or even name-calling or yelling at each other. If this is the case, it’s time to set boundaries regarding how you communicate with each other.

Neglecting Your Own Life

Being in a marriage sometimes means we get complacent—but you should still be able to have your own sense of self—hobbies, friends, and routines—that will bring joy to your own life and allow you to be an even better partner.

“We need a little healthy insecurity in our relationships to revitalize them. That comes from investing in situations and experiences outside of your relationship. Cultivate your own passions, and bring that energy back into your relationship,” says Dr. Romanoff.

Projecting Your Emotions

Your partner shouldn’t be your punching bag. Though we might get used to yelling at them when we’re angry about something else entirely, behavior like this is often a sign we need to work on our own emotional regulation and develop healthy outlets instead.

Seeking Constant Reassurance

Though it’s OK to want reassurance from your partner from time to time, constantly needing them to tell you they love you or that you are great at your job could be a sign that you should address the deeper insecurities within yourself.

Snooping on Your Partner

Trust is one of the most important parts of marriage. Your marriage may have underlying problems if you find that you’re checking your partner’s texts or emails. If you are suspicious that they’re cheating, for instance, it’s best to address this directly with your partner or in therapy.

A Word From Verywell

Fortunately, many marriage problems can be worked on—even if only one partner is consciously trying to change, any change can bring a shift in the dynamic of the relationship, which can bring positive results.

However, some relationship problems are more complex. For instance, it may help to address issues like substance use, loss of trust, violence, or simply growing apart in couples therapy ormarriage counseling.

A therapist can help you and your partner navigate these problems; therapy can also help you decide whether or not to end a problematic relationship. Either way, the help of a mental health professional can give you the emotional support you need.

How to Maintain a Happy Marriage

12 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.The health benefits of marriage.American Psychological Association.Happy couples: How to avoid money arguments.Radó, M.K.Tracking the effects of parenthood on subjective well-being: Evidence from Hungary.J Happiness Stud.2020;21:2069–2094. doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00166-yNewkirk K, Perry-Jenkins M, Sayer AG.Division of household and childcare labor and relationship conflict among low-income new parents.Sex Roles. 2017;76(5):319-333. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0604-3Badri, M., Al Nuaimi, A., Guang, Y. et al.The effects of home and school on children’s happiness: a structural equation model.ICEP.2018;12(17). doi:10.1186/s40723-018-0056-zTimmons AC, Arbel R, Margolin G.Daily patterns of stress and conflict in couples: Associations with marital aggression and family-of-origin aggression.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):93-104. doi:10.1037/fam0000227Lavner JA, Clark MA.Workload and marital satisfaction over time: Testing lagged spillover and crossover effects during the newlywed years.J Vocat Behav. 2017;101:67-76. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2017.05.002American Psychological Association.How to keep your relationship healthy.du Plooy K, de Beer R.Effective interactions: Communication and high levels of marital satisfaction.Journal of Psychology in Africa. 2018;28(2):161-167. doi:10.1080/14330237.2018.1435041James-Kangal N, Whitton SW.Speaker-listener technique in couple and family therapy.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. 2019:2757-2763. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_97Rogers SL, Howieson J, Neame C.I understand you feel that way, but I feel this way: the benefits of I-language and communicating perspective during conflict.PeerJ. 2018;6:e4831. doi:10.7717/peerj.4831Ahluwalia H, Anand T, Suman LN.Marital and family therapy.Indian J Psychiatry. 2018;60(Suppl 4):S501-S505. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_19_18

12 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Harvard Health Publishing.The health benefits of marriage.American Psychological Association.Happy couples: How to avoid money arguments.Radó, M.K.Tracking the effects of parenthood on subjective well-being: Evidence from Hungary.J Happiness Stud.2020;21:2069–2094. doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00166-yNewkirk K, Perry-Jenkins M, Sayer AG.Division of household and childcare labor and relationship conflict among low-income new parents.Sex Roles. 2017;76(5):319-333. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0604-3Badri, M., Al Nuaimi, A., Guang, Y. et al.The effects of home and school on children’s happiness: a structural equation model.ICEP.2018;12(17). doi:10.1186/s40723-018-0056-zTimmons AC, Arbel R, Margolin G.Daily patterns of stress and conflict in couples: Associations with marital aggression and family-of-origin aggression.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):93-104. doi:10.1037/fam0000227Lavner JA, Clark MA.Workload and marital satisfaction over time: Testing lagged spillover and crossover effects during the newlywed years.J Vocat Behav. 2017;101:67-76. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2017.05.002American Psychological Association.How to keep your relationship healthy.du Plooy K, de Beer R.Effective interactions: Communication and high levels of marital satisfaction.Journal of Psychology in Africa. 2018;28(2):161-167. doi:10.1080/14330237.2018.1435041James-Kangal N, Whitton SW.Speaker-listener technique in couple and family therapy.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. 2019:2757-2763. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_97Rogers SL, Howieson J, Neame C.I understand you feel that way, but I feel this way: the benefits of I-language and communicating perspective during conflict.PeerJ. 2018;6:e4831. doi:10.7717/peerj.4831Ahluwalia H, Anand T, Suman LN.Marital and family therapy.Indian J Psychiatry. 2018;60(Suppl 4):S501-S505. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_19_18

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Harvard Health Publishing.The health benefits of marriage.American Psychological Association.Happy couples: How to avoid money arguments.Radó, M.K.Tracking the effects of parenthood on subjective well-being: Evidence from Hungary.J Happiness Stud.2020;21:2069–2094. doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00166-yNewkirk K, Perry-Jenkins M, Sayer AG.Division of household and childcare labor and relationship conflict among low-income new parents.Sex Roles. 2017;76(5):319-333. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0604-3Badri, M., Al Nuaimi, A., Guang, Y. et al.The effects of home and school on children’s happiness: a structural equation model.ICEP.2018;12(17). doi:10.1186/s40723-018-0056-zTimmons AC, Arbel R, Margolin G.Daily patterns of stress and conflict in couples: Associations with marital aggression and family-of-origin aggression.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):93-104. doi:10.1037/fam0000227Lavner JA, Clark MA.Workload and marital satisfaction over time: Testing lagged spillover and crossover effects during the newlywed years.J Vocat Behav. 2017;101:67-76. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2017.05.002American Psychological Association.How to keep your relationship healthy.du Plooy K, de Beer R.Effective interactions: Communication and high levels of marital satisfaction.Journal of Psychology in Africa. 2018;28(2):161-167. doi:10.1080/14330237.2018.1435041James-Kangal N, Whitton SW.Speaker-listener technique in couple and family therapy.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. 2019:2757-2763. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_97Rogers SL, Howieson J, Neame C.I understand you feel that way, but I feel this way: the benefits of I-language and communicating perspective during conflict.PeerJ. 2018;6:e4831. doi:10.7717/peerj.4831Ahluwalia H, Anand T, Suman LN.Marital and family therapy.Indian J Psychiatry. 2018;60(Suppl 4):S501-S505. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_19_18

Harvard Health Publishing.The health benefits of marriage.

American Psychological Association.Happy couples: How to avoid money arguments.

Radó, M.K.Tracking the effects of parenthood on subjective well-being: Evidence from Hungary.J Happiness Stud.2020;21:2069–2094. doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00166-y

Newkirk K, Perry-Jenkins M, Sayer AG.Division of household and childcare labor and relationship conflict among low-income new parents.Sex Roles. 2017;76(5):319-333. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0604-3

Badri, M., Al Nuaimi, A., Guang, Y. et al.The effects of home and school on children’s happiness: a structural equation model.ICEP.2018;12(17). doi:10.1186/s40723-018-0056-z

Timmons AC, Arbel R, Margolin G.Daily patterns of stress and conflict in couples: Associations with marital aggression and family-of-origin aggression.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):93-104. doi:10.1037/fam0000227

Lavner JA, Clark MA.Workload and marital satisfaction over time: Testing lagged spillover and crossover effects during the newlywed years.J Vocat Behav. 2017;101:67-76. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2017.05.002

American Psychological Association.How to keep your relationship healthy.

du Plooy K, de Beer R.Effective interactions: Communication and high levels of marital satisfaction.Journal of Psychology in Africa. 2018;28(2):161-167. doi:10.1080/14330237.2018.1435041

James-Kangal N, Whitton SW.Speaker-listener technique in couple and family therapy.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. 2019:2757-2763. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_97

Rogers SL, Howieson J, Neame C.I understand you feel that way, but I feel this way: the benefits of I-language and communicating perspective during conflict.PeerJ. 2018;6:e4831. doi:10.7717/peerj.4831

Ahluwalia H, Anand T, Suman LN.Marital and family therapy.Indian J Psychiatry. 2018;60(Suppl 4):S501-S505. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_19_18

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