When a romantic relationship has turned sour, it may be easier to end the relationship. However, millions of Americans decide to do a very challenging thing: salvage the romance. Fortunately, there are many Mindful Mate tips to help you mend a broken relationship.
Listed below are common causes for broken relationships as well as Mindful tips that can help repair your romance.
Great Differences
They say opposites attract, but sometimes it can cause great troubles in relationships. Differences in personalities, ages, religion, life goals, or even habits (like smoking) can lead to relationship difficulties that can be hard to overcome. For instance, a marriage that has only one smoker partner is 75 to 91 percent more likely to divorce than a married, smoker couple. Studies, also show that a couple in which the woman is two or more years older than her husband is 53 percent more likely to end in divorce than if the husband is one year younger or three years older.
- Tip: One way to overcome great differences in relationships is finding compromises. For instance, an introverted partner vows to attend more social events with their loved one, and the extrovert partner vows to make time for romantic evenings inside the home. Finding compromises in differences set in stone (like age) can be a challenge, but a relationship checkup may help.
Growing Apart
It’s unfortunate but true: couples that grow apart are hard to mend. While self-growth can add further meaning to your life, it can also throw your romantic relationships off balance, leaving the other partner frustrated and confused by the changes. According to a British study, “growing apart” is a more common reason for divorce than extramarital affairs. In fact, 27 percent of family lawyers cited that “growing apart” was the reason for their clients’ separation, while only 25 percent cited extramarital affairs as the cause of divorces.
- Tip: These statistics don’t mean that the relationship can’t be mended. Taking steps to grow together can change all that. Reassess your priorities together. Find something new that you can both learn and grow from. And take the time to reconnect with each other.
Stress
Stress can have a terrible impact on romantic relationships. The stress of work or trouble finances can drive couples apart. Fortunately, you can strengthen your relationship by learning to lean on each other during times of stress. In a 2010 University of Chicago study, researchers examined stress in 500 participants. The single and unpaired individuals had higher cortisol levels and were more vulnerable to psychological stress than the married participants or participants in a long-term committed relationship.
- Tip: Turning to each other for support can strengthen your relationship. Come up with stress relieving rituals that you can do together as a couple. Consider a relaxing date night or morning walks together to reduce stress.