How Couples Can Survive
Life Transitions

The decision to get married and raise a family can take couples through numerous milestones and life transitions. You may start a new career or build a business, cultivating it as you nurture your marriage and family. You may choose to have children; they may grow up and leave your nest to build their own lives, families and homes. Upon retirement, you may begin to feel that you are beginning to lose many important aspects of the life you lived for many years. You may be coping with having an empty nest, adjusting back to a home including just you and your spouse.

So many transitions can happen in a lifetime. Not every couple successfully manages these changes together. Getting the right help is something many proactive couples choose to do to keep their bond strong through these challenges.

The Life Transitions as a Young Couple

The challenges in the lives of young couples generally revolve around having children and parenting them, as well as finding a decent source of livelihood to support a growing family. Complications and conflicts enter the relationship as they meander through these challenges. Other transitions involve changing of jobs, moving to a different home or neighborhood, and/or parenting children entering adolescence. In addition, dramatic/traumatic events may also cause a drastic change in your life as a couple.

Somewhere Down the Road

As you and your spouse enter you midlife, you may start looking back and assessing what you have done in your lives and what had happened all those years past. Not everyone makes the happy discovery that they are right where they wanted to be. There are those who may shift gear and fall prey to the so called “midlife crisis.” While many will decide to stay together in marriage, there are those who begin to question whether they should leave their marriage. The results can be unpredictable; this may be a time when the help of a professional can be paramount.

Just You and Me

Upon retirement, couples face another milestone. For some it may come with losing roles at work and/or at home. The retirement may not necessarily cause a negative impact in your life as a couple; it can truly depend on the circumstances surrounding your retirement. Coming home to an empty nest may similarly affect you as you likely grew accustomed to having your children around. For some, retirement comes with freedom to pursue things you have always been interested in, but didn’t have the time to pursue such as; travel and old/new hobbies, though this may not be the case for all. For some retirement can be a time of sadness and possibly even a source of depression or anxiety.

Finding Help to Navigate Through Transitions

Couples will go through so many life transitions throughout their marriage. It can be argued that the best relationships are those that survive challenges because they seek help when needed. Often the unbiased views of a marriage counselor can help proactive spouses to see what they are having difficulty seeing or resolving on their own. This is when it may matter most to have an effective, well trained therapist. Licensed, independently contracted therapists are available and ready to help. Call Carolina Counseling Services – Southern Pines, NC to schedule your first session. Begin to approach life transitions in a more positive and harmonious way, don’t wait, call today.

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