A good marriage is a wonderful thing, but if your marriage is in trouble and is going through a tough spot it can be one of the most stressful experiences you'll ever go through in your life.
If you've been considering a divorce or separation, you should understand right up front that divorce is a major life altering occurrence.
In terms of stress it ranks with losing a loved one to death, finding you no longer have a job, and moving to another part of the country.
Studies have shown parental divorce is especially tough for children.
They have to deal with the conflicting emotions of feeling torn between their fighting parents and their own overlooked emotional needs.
You can experience difficulties in your marriage due to a variety of problems.
Some couples experience problems in their marriages due to one partner's infidelity, while others face a communication breakdown.
Because of the range of different problems that can happen in a marriage there isn't one simple solution for every problem.
You have to begin by understanding just what the problem is in your relationship.
Having clear and open communication is definitely the number one place to start to repair a marriage.
Couples who use vague and unclear communication to avoid intimacy and conflict set the stage for misunderstanding, frustration and hurt feelings.
A study from 1993 found that 70 per cent of people surveyed whose marriages had ended in divorce selected a lack of communication and the resulting lack of companionship, love and affection, as the major cause of their marriage ending.
Communicating openly doesn't mean just warm and cuddly moments either.
Sometimes it's about expressing the hard things you know your partner doesn't want to hear.
Couples who sit on their anger are twice as likely to face early death as those who express it.
A good but fair fight with your partner could be the key to making your marriage last.
Couples also need to understand that intimacy in marriage can't always be rushed.
Some couples can connect with each other early on but for most couples it can take years to develop a sense of closeness and understanding.
Even couples who are well matched with one another can benefit from some marriage help from time to time.
Life can get busy, and we often forget to take time for each other.
And don't let yourself be misled into thinking that improving your marriage is a matter of simply solving your problems.
Rekindling your desire and passion for each other can often be the most effective way to save a marriage.
Couples make thousands of choices every day that basically deplete their relationships.
It's easy to think about a life outside the struggles of marriage and happier, more enjoyable times.