Stress can be an overwhelming problem in a marriage.  Now we could sit here and go through all the reasons for worry and stress, money problems, jobs, etc. but the bottom line is that if you want to succeed in life and succeed in marriage, then you must find ways to reduce your stress and relax.

The following are some really wonderful ideas for inexpensive things that you can do to bond as a couple and reduce your stress.

1.  Take a vacation from reality.  You don’t need to actually go anywhere to do this.  Simply take some time off from life.  Turn off the phone, TV and computer.  Spend some time together.  If you have kids, send them to grandma’s house.  Give each other massages, take baths, do some reading together (not the newspaper) and essentially just block out everything for a day or two.  This will provide you both with a much needed break without having to spend a fortune on an expensive trip.

2.  Take a walk together.  Hold hands and talk.  The fresh air and endorphins will do both of you some good and give you both a much needed break.

3.  Exercise together.  Pick up a cheap yoga tape online.  There are some really great one’s for couples to do together.  Yoga is not only great for getting in shape, it is also very relaxing.

4.  Talk about what is really on your mind.  Letting go of emotions and feelings can really help to take the pressure off.  Create a time and place to just let go of some of the pressures of the day and share your thoughts, fears and concerns.  Sharing these with your life partner, can help you to feel better and they may be able to help you see solutions that you don’t see yourself.

Working together to help reduce stress is good for each of you as individuals and for you as a couple.  You may ask can reducing stress really save my marriage? And the answer is YES!

Many men hear the words Marriage Counseling and freeze up.  I think perhaps this is because many men don’t want to air their problems to another person, and they don’t want to deal with the underlying emotions that having marriage problems can invoke.  This is what one man says about his reaction to marriage counseling and the Light Her Fire / Light His Fire:

I came in from work one day, not really knowing what my wife wanted from me, when she told me to come sit down with her at the table.  At first I really thought that someone had died or something horrible had happened, and then like that she just sprung it on me, “Honey, I think that we should go see a marriage counselor”.  I am not sure what the look on my face said at that moment, but I can tell you the thoughts that were running through my head, who me, why? Are you cheating on me? Am I not enough man for you? Don’t get me wrong, I did see that the spark wasn’t there anymore, but I thought that was just the way a marriage was.  Over time we had grown to me more like room mates, moving through the house trying to stay out of the other person’s way.  Sure we didn’t talk as much and didn’t have sex as much, but that was normal, wasn’t it? I told her I was fine with the idea of counseling, when in fact I really wasn’t.  I didn’t really see how bringing another person in was going to help us.  She made an appointment and I found the whole thing very mundane, she said what was bothering her, then I said my piece.  The counselor nodded a lot and threw in a few open-ended questions, but after a few weeks, I could see that we were just going around in circles.  I knew my wife must be truly unhappy if she thought we needed counseling, and she seemed to be getting very frustrated with the counseling.  I decided that I really needed something that could save my marriage, and so I began looking online and found Dr. Ellen’s Light His Fire and Light Her Fire.  The price was extremely reasonable, especially compared to how much we were spending on counseling each week, so I decided to order it.  Well, when it first arrived, I didn’t even tell my wife about it.  I figured I really needed to see if it was going to help.  I started to follow some of the advice that Dr. Ellen gave, and honestly, I was shocked that my wife responded so positively to the things I was doing.  A few days later, I shared Dr. Ellen’s program with her.  I can’t tell you how much this program has added to our lives and our marriage.  I never thought that we would ever feel this way about each other again.  Thanks Dr. Ellen, we couldn’t have done it without you.