Common Relationship Issues and How they Negatively Affect your Marriage

When you first met your spouse, you were over the moon for them. Seeing each other gave you butterflies and you couldn’t wait for the next text, the next cuddle, the next interaction. But these days, your relationship is feeling a little less than sparkly. 

Relationship issues plague even the happiest of couples. It’s how you communicate and handle your disagreements that determines whether or not your relationship will be successful or not. 

Whether you’ve been together for three months or thirty years, you’re bound to hit a rocky patch at some point. This does not mean that your relationship is doomed, but you must take affirmative steps to save your relationship. 

We’re looking at the most common relationship issues facing couples today and how ignoring these negative interactions will contribute to the downfall of your marriage. 

Common Relationship Issues Facing Couples 

All couples run into problems along the road to happiness. Before we learn how negative interactions can ruin your relationship, we’ll be looking at some of the most common relationship issues couples deal with worldwide.  

1. Cheating and Emotional Affairs 

It practically goes without saying that having romantic emotional or physical relationships with someone other than your spouse is a sure-fire way to destroy your marriage. Such hurt and deceit is a betrayal to your spouse and breaks those important bonds of trust.  

2. Sexual Relationship Issues 

Sex is an important part of a healthy relationship. This is because the oxytocin released during physical intimacy deepens your emotional bond, improves monogamy, and creates a sense of trust between partners.

When your sex life is lacking or you don’t feel any passion from your partner, it can break down these important aspects of your relationship. It can also make you more likely to stray outside the relationship to fulfill your emotional or physical needs. 

For women, when there are times that you felt any sexual pain or discomfort, it may be due to pelvic health issues. In this case, your doctor or pelvic specialist may prescribe using a silicone vaginal dilator to ease any tension within the vaginal walls. Vaginal dilation therapy is often an ongoing process, which is why it’s important for partners to give their full support and assistance along the way.

3. Behavioral Issues 

One of the biggest negative interactions in relationships occurs when one partner exhibits behavioral issues. 

Being addicted to drugs or alcohol or displaying physical, emotional, or sexual violence/abuse is dangerous to both your body and your mind.  

4. Different Spending Habits 

Studies show that money is a common problem faced by couples these days. A study that monitored 748 arguments between 100 married couples found that money was the most repetitive and salient to partners than other topics.

Having differing ideas on how to spend and save money can be incredibly frustrating in a relationship, especially if you are already in debt or are the primary breadwinner and feel your money is not being spent wisely by your spouse. This can lead to intense arguments and stress that may push you apart. 

5. Not Knowing How to Communicate 

It is often said that having good communication is the most important features of a healthy relationship. Couples who communicate know how to problem solve, express appreciation, and have a deeper connection than those who don’t.  

When communication is lacking, you and your spouse are in for a world of frustration. 

How Negative Interactions Create Unhappiness 

Even if your relationship issues start out small, these problems can snowball over time and make your life with your partner miserable. This is why it is so important to communicate

openly with your spouse, learn to problem-solve and spend time together regularly. This will deepen your connection, boost trust, and make your life generally more enjoyable.  

If you do not take these loving precautions, your life may start to look like this: 

1. You Hate Coming Home 

Instead of feeling like your home is a sanctuary and a safe-haven, you will begin to dread coming home. Even the sight of your spouse’s car in the driveway or the sound of their voice as you walk through the front door can fill you with dread.  

2. Chronic stress 

Feeling anxious about your relationship or dealing with constant pessimism or arguments with your spouse is not healthy. Chronic stress can have a negative effect on your mental health, physical health, and can even make your libido feel invisible.

3. You are Less Patient with your Spouse 

Without the rush of bonding and loving oxytocin that you get from being in a loving relationship with your spouse, you will feel more easily agitated and less patient when dealing with your partner. This can make daily interactions feel cringe-worthy. 

4. Increased Risk of Illness and Slower Healing –

Being in an unhappy relationship can contribute to health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and depression.

You may not know this, but relationship stress can prevent your body from healing as fast as it can. This means a cut on your finger will heal slower when you are unhappy than if you were in good mental spirits.

5. Your Sex Life Suffers

When relationship issues strike, your sex life is sure to take a hit. Obviously, you are not going to want to be intimate with someone who is driving you crazy or hurting your feelings.

This can become troublesome, since couples who are regularly intimate are more likely to express their love for one another. This lack of reassurance in a relationship came be upsetting and lead to self-esteem issues between partners.

Research shows that sexual communication is also shown to be positively correlated with sexual satisfaction and boosted relationship quality. Without communication and physical intimacy, partner’s are sure to feel negative about their relationship.

6. You Resent Your Partner 

This is definitely not something you want to feel toward the person you have vowed to spend forever with. But relationship issues can create deep unhappiness that may make you regret getting together. 

Cheating, lack of intimacy, the inability to communicate, behavioral problems, and financial stress are all common relationship issues that face couples today. If these issues go unaddressed, they can wreak havoc on an otherwise happy relationship. Seek counseling and open up the lines of communication today to save your marriage. 

Author Bio: Rachael Pace is a relationship expert with years of experience in training and helping couples. She has helped countless individuals and organizations around the world, offering effective and efficient solutions for healthy and successful relationships. She is a featured writer for Marriage.com, a reliable resource to support healthy happy marriages.