What to Do (and Not Do) When You and Your Spouse Aren’t Getting Along

2. When you are super angry because your spouse disagrees with you…

DON’T: Sling threats at each other.

There are times in our marriage that we will have a heated argument with our spouse, but we must resist completely losing our cool. Many times, we end up threatening one another with things like…

“If you don’t do ______, then I won’t sleep with you.”

or,

“If you do _________, then I am going to take the kids to my mom’s house.”

or, the worst,

“If you __________, then I am going to divorce you.”

This only incites anger in each other and brings healthy communication to a screeching halt. We also end up spewing “word vomit” all over each other, and those hurtful threats are hard to forgive, much less forget.

DO: Let your partner finish his/her statements and calmly share your feelings as well.

If we want to come to a compromise, then we have to try and understand our spouse’s thoughts and feelings. This can only happen when we allow them to speak freely, without interruptions or dirty looks from us. Even if we completely disagree with how they perceive a certain situation, we need to listen intently. When both partners do this calmly, then the line of communication remains wide open, and we will be able to resolve the argument.

For more on handling marital disagreements, read my blogpost, “When a Husband and Wife Don’t See Eye-to-Eye”, by clicking here.