3 First-Year Marriage Mistakes To Avoid
When you’re about to get married, you really start to wonder if there’s an echo in your head. That’s because you keep hearing the same thing over and over again: “the first year of marriage is the hardest.” It’s so jarring to hear this ominous sentence from so many loved ones when all you’re thinking is how good life will be when you’re married. Realism is a balm here—it’s true the first year together poses unique challenges, but that doesn’t guarantee y’all will have tons of issues. Take married life in stride and deal with what comes as a team. Some preparation can head off the most common mix-ups, though. To this aim, read these three first-year marriage mistakes to avoid.
Forgetting Important Dates
Let’s home in on the basics first—don’t forget each other’s important days throughout the year. If you do, you’ll set both of you on a one-way street to a crappy day. If you aren’t a scheduler, keep one for them. The best relationships are the ones where you are willing to put in the effort for your spouse like this. Go all out for their birthday, surprise them on the day that you went on a first date, and make absolutely sure you make a big deal out of your first anniversary.
Operating as a Functionally Single Person
Second, some couples function like they did when they were single. They live in the same space, but they prize their independence so much that they miss the pleasure of depending on their spouse. This is common for those who get married at an older age and spent previous years living alone. When you let down your lone-wolf prickliness, you’re less likely to view your spouse as a mess-making problem. This will teach you patience.
Spending Too Much Time Together
On the flip side, our final one of our first-year marriage mistakes to avoid is to steer clear of being too close for comfort. So many couples spend every waking moment with each other, but even the most easy-going people get on each other’s’ nerves this way. Plus, they leave their friendships to starve out in the process. This isn’t sustainable—it’s healthy for y’all to be a couple and have lived apart, as well.
