With all sorts of pressure and stress in life today, it's essential for every married couple to find ways of avoiding divorce and nurturing their relationship instead.
This is especially critical if you're starting to see cracks form in your marriage.
  Are you talking less and arguing more?  Do you often fall asleep without settling an issue?  Is one or both of you staying out later and later?  Is one of you becoming closer to your buddies or girlfriends?  And, God forbid, are there signs one of you might be having an affair outside the marriage? If you said yes to any of these questions, you need to find ways of avoiding divorce now, before things get any worse.
  What are the must-do's that marriage counselors and experts would advise doing when avoiding divorce?  Here are seven of the more critical ones -- 1.
  Recommit to the marriage Without each of you being committed to work on the marriage, it will not survive.
  It's very easy these days to succumb to how easy you can get a divorce.
  It takes more to make a marriage work.
  Are you both committed to it? 2.
  Remember the "why" Take a minute to consider why you chose to marry each other.
  What were the qualities that you fell in love with and which made you say yes to spending your life together?  List them down and celebrate each item on the list.
3.
  Start really listening When I say listening, I mean really listening.
Many of us claim to "listen" but are in fact thinking through other thoughts while our spouse is talking.
  Clear your mind and take in what your husband or wife is saying.
4.
  Then start communicating Notice I said communicate not talk.
  When you talk, you are pushing your point or view onto the other person.
  Communicating is instead a two-way process, a give and take, a sharing of views.
5.
  Learn to either agree, compromise or disagree You both will never agree on everything.
  So thank God for the things you can agree on.
  For things you can't, be willing to compromise.
  Remember not all things in life are life-or-death matters.
  If you need to, agree to disagree.
  In other words, respect the fact that you each may have differing views on a particular point.
6.
  Allocate "alone time" No couple will survive without time for themselves to renew their relationship.
  So dump the kids off at their grandma's, switch off the cellular, go have a nice night out.
7.
  Get help If you find that things are just getting from bad to worse, then don't be afraid to get expert help -- a counselor or a therapist.
  He or she will be able to help you in ways you can't simply because they are trained to do this.
  Also, it's quite hard to be objective when you're deep in it.
  The fact is that many marriages are saved through counseling and therapy sessions so get expert help when necessary.