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Marriage and relationship issues in present times

If you believe that your relationship will always remain perfect, without any conflict during its lifetime, then this happens only in fairy tales. It is good to accept the fact that all romantic and marital relationships will experience some kind of distress at some point in life. Common challenges may include infidelity, loss of intimacy, communication difficulties, financial pressures, divorce, separation, and breaking up. What matters is how to resolve conflicts and for that, we need to have a deep understanding of these challenges in the first place. So let’s discuss some of them.

7 most common relationship issues

1. Cheating on a partner (Infidelity)
   What is infidelity? It is a violation of trust by one or both members of a romantic relationship that involves a third individual, with whom one member has an improper relationship. It is one of the most common relationship challenges in romantic relationships. If you find that you have been cheated, you can experience anguish, depression, fury, and humiliation. It is one of the leading causes of divorce and romantic relationship breakdown. Infidelity can be in the form of an emotional affair, a sexual affair, or a combination of both. Traditionally, men are considered to be primarily interested in sexual infidelity, and women are considered to be primarily interested in emotional infidelity. According to some researchers, Infidelity prevalence rates vary according to gender with female incidents reported to be 10% to 15% lower than those of their male counterparts. In resolving this matter, women are found to be more likely to forgive sexual infidelity whereas men find it the most difficult to forgive. As such, infidelity is considered one of the most challenging issues to treat in couple therapy.

    

2. Intimacy
   In simple terms, Intimacy includes emotional bonding and feelings of connectedness, a sense of self-disclosure, sharing of one’s self, and feeling closer to one’s partner. The word intimacy has taken on sexual connotations. But it is much more than that. It includes all the different dimensions of our lives. It involves the physical, social, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects as well as sexual components that can enhance the feeling of togetherness between the romantic couple (Larson, Hammond & Harper, 1998). Intimacy promotes loyalty to the relationship. How to enhance Intimacy? It is fair to assume that the quality of the romantic relationship will often be judged by the frequency of intimate interactions as perceived by each individual. It is these unmet intimacy expectations that can often affect the relationship negatively. Therapists dealing with the loss of intimacy in romantic relationships should help clients develop trust and communication skills that can help to overcome barriers to intimacy.

3. Conflict 
   Occurs as a result of differences in opinions. People differ in values, dreams, desires, and perceptions. Therefore, we are all bound to encounter conflict at some point in our lives. Conflict can range from less serious mild disagreements to more intensely heated arguments. that marital conflict often stems from unmet needs, wants, and desires. When one person needs or wants something badly enough, and the other person is unwilling or unable to meet that need, conflict arises. The negative consequences of conflict are probably familiar to all of us. Conflict can cause psychological pain that manifests in withdrawal and distance, depression, anxiety, and/or aggression. However, there are also constructive outcomes to conflict in romantic relationships. For instance, people who continue to relate to one another despite their conflict may build greater trust and confidence in each other and become more apt in their ability to resolve their problems. However, reoccurring conflict is usually a symptom of a problem in the romantic relationship and therefore should be addressed intentionally by the couple. The role of the counselor, when dealing with couples who are experiencing conflict, is to help them identify the source of such conflict and its style to assist them in implementing skills to resolve the disagreements.
4. Communication
   Good communication is at the root of a healthy romantic and marital relationship. Healthy couples speak openly and directly (Both verbally and through body language) and convey their likes, dislikes, happiness, and sorrows accurately. Communication in romantic relationships allows them to discuss and solve problems and share important information and views. Challenges occur when the messages we send to others are misunderstood or misinterpreted. With poor or broken communication problems are bound to happen in the relationship. Healthy, productive, and effective communication is viewed as the binding tool for any romantic relationship. Therefore, the goal of enhancing communication skills may be a great starting point for the couple therapist.
5. Sexual Problems
   Sexual intimacy is one of the most important factors in romantic relationships. In the early stages of the relationship, it is common for couples to experience intense feelings of love, affection, and a strong desire for one another. As the relationship grows, external factors such as children and busy schedules can begin to have an impact on the sexual intimacy of the couple, often resulting in frustrations experienced by at least one member of the relationship. Sometimes sexual challenges may occur as a result of sexual dysfunction disorder like lack of sexual desire or interest in sex, inability to become physically aroused or excited during sexual activity, delay or absence of orgasm (climax), pain during intercourse. The therapist needs to differentiate sexual problems from sexual dysfunctions to determine the appropriate referral when necessary.
6. Substance Abuse
   While substance abuse, particularly alcohol, many people use as a way of coping with the problems in their relationship it leads to financial and health problems that contribute to relational distress. The first issue, of course, is money. Alcohol is expensive. Spending a great deal of money each day on alcoholic beverages is a serious problem that can put a great deal of strain on relationships. Alcohol can cause people to become less sensitive to the feelings of others too. Alcohol can make it difficult for people to distinguish between the other person’s emotions, and thus they may make incorrect judgments that negatively impact their relationship with their partner. Time is an issue as well. Drinking is not a “one and done” type of activity. It can take hours out of the day, hours that could have been spent as a couple. Because of these and other factors, alcohol abuse has been singled out as a contributing factor to divorce, physical abuse, and lowered marital satisfaction.
7. Divorce and Breaking Up
   Though the rate of divorce is very low in India, the number of divorces has doubled over the past two decades, revealed a report from United Nations released on Tuesday. The report titled “Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020: Families in a Changing World” For romantic relationships that continuously experience high distress, low satisfaction, and low relationship quality, at some point one partner or both decide to end or terminate the relationship if such challenges are not resolved. Divorce and breakup can be a difficult and painful experience for many. The termination of a relationship or divorce can affect an individual financially, socially, emotionally, and psychologically. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders are often experienced during this time. The therapists, counselors can assist clients through this life-changing transition.
   
   How to save a relationship?

It’s normal for couples to disagree on things from time to time. However, it’s important to be able to discuss these disagreements in a constructive way. This means avoiding blame, name-calling, or other negative behaviors. Instead, focus on finding a solution that works for both of you. If you’re having trouble communicating with your partner, it may be helpful to seek out counselling or therapy. A professional can help you learn how to better communicate with each other and resolve conflicts in a healthy way.

Why Choose Us?

Lisners is a tech led mental health and wellness app which is one of the best therapy apps in India. It has the best-in-class therapists, counsellors and social workers and lawyers with vast experience in marriage and relationship counselling. We respect our end user’s privacy and hence you don’t need to share your number with the therapist while taking consultation. The charges are highly affordable. All our audio/video calls are GDPR compliant. We offer both pre-marital and post-marital counselling sessions. We have seen relationships getting better and apparently impossible issues getting resolved each day. If your relationship is not working out, do not take extreme decisions. Just make up your mind to give your relationship one more start and leave everything else on Lisners.