Marriage is a beautiful commitment that two people make to support, love, and respect each other for the rest of their lives. However, maintaining a healthy and happy marriage requires some good marital advice, and more importantly, effort from both partners. 

As life gets busy with work, kids, and other responsibilities, couples tend to neglect their relationship. Hence, it is essential to keep certain things in mind to have a healthy and fulfilling married life. In this article, we will discuss ten crucial bits of marital advice that every couple should keep in mind for maintaining a happy, healthy married life.

1. Communication is the Key

Communication is something that gets brought up a lot in relationship and marital advice, but the fact is that it forms the foundation of any healthy relationship or marriage. It is vital to communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully with your partner. Good communication helps in building trust, resolving conflicts, and understanding each other's needs. Therefore, always be open to discussing your thoughts and feelings with your partner, and focus on strategies that keep the conversation from falling into conflict.

2. Respect Each Other

Exercising mutual respect is the best marital advice for maintaining a healthy marriage. It is crucial to respect each other's opinions, decisions, and boundaries. When partners respect each other, they build a strong foundation for their relationship. It also shows that they value and appreciate each other, leading to a happy and fulfilling marriage.

3. Show Love and Affection

Love and affection are the soul of a marriage. Small gestures like holding hands, hugs, kisses, or saying "I love you" can make all the difference in any relationship, which is why it also makes for good marital advice. These simple acts of love help in maintaining a strong emotional connection and keeping the spark alive in a marriage.

4. Keep Your Commitments

Trust is an essential aspect of any relationship, especially in a marriage. As such, our next piece of marital advice is that it is crucial to keep your commitments and promises made to your partner, from paying bills on time to meeting them when you said you were going to meet them. When you consistently follow through on your commitments, it strengthens the trust between partners and makes them feel secure in their relationship.

5. Spend Quality Time Together

In today's fast-paced world, couples often find themselves caught up in their individual lives and responsibilities. It is often justified - for the good of both home and finances. However we find that the best marital advice is to prioritize spending quality time with your partner to keep the bond strong. And if you have kids, we don’t just mean family time. 

Make a point to plan regular date nights, go on vacations together, or simply enjoy each other's company at home. While working hard can seem like you’re doing the relationship a favor, there’s still personal needs on both ends that need to be fulfilled, and spending quality time with your significant other can do so at both ends.

6. Practice Forgiveness

Conflicts are inevitable in a marriage - it is two separate people after all, and there’s no fresh new love to act as the buffer. That’s why our next piece of marital advice is that it’s essential to practice forgiveness and make a habit of letting go of grudges to maintain a healthy relationship. 

Holding onto past mistakes or wrongdoings can create resentment and damage the bond between partners in the short term and the long term, making for a relationship that could potentially descend into toxicity. So next time your partner does something you can’t stand, try to forgive them and communicate in a calm and progressive manner towards a solution that works for both individuals.

7. Support Each Other's Goals

Partners should support each other's dreams and goals, both individually and as a couple. As marital advice goes, it is absolutely crucial to have each other's back at all times, and to encourage and motivate each other towards personal growth. This support strengthens the relationship and helps in achieving common goals, both in terms of finances and personal fulfillment.

8. Keep the Romance Alive

Marriage should never be taken for granted, so it is essential to keep the romance alive. Plan surprise dates, give thoughtful gifts, or simply do something special to show your partner how much they mean to you. While it might be more subtle in terms of marital advice, rest assured that these small acts of romance are essential for keeping the spark alive and making you and your partner feel loved and appreciated.

9. Don't Stop Growing Together

As individuals, we are continuously growing and evolving, and when we commit our lives to another person, it is equally important to grow together as a couple too. Keep learning new things, trying new experiences, exploring each other's interests, and helping one another grow. After all, the mark of a healthy relationship is when couples build on each other rather than taking away.

10. Seek Help When Needed

Finally, if there are any issues or challenges in a marriage that cannot be resolved between partners, it is essential to seek professional help. Marriage counseling can provide a safe space for couples to communicate and work on their relationship with the guidance of an expert.

Luckily, the Clarity app is a perfect place to easily access all the relationship, sex, and marital advice you could need, from a compassionate and anonymous community to a vast library of resources and lessons to a 24-hour relationship expert hotline. For more information check out the Clarity website or get the app in the App Store or Google Play for free! 

In conclusion, a healthy and happy marriage requires effort, commitment, and constant communication from both partners. By keeping these ten pieces of marital advice in mind, couples can strengthen their bond, overcome challenges, and enjoy a fulfilling married life together.  So remember to communicate openly, respect each other, show love and affection, keep your commitments, spend quality time together, practice forgiveness, support each other's goals, keep the romance alive, grow together, and seek help when needed. Here's to a long and healthy married life!