5 Marriage Tips from a Newly Married Spouse
I didn’t have any doubts about us getting through my first year of marriage to my husband. I knew there would be a lot of firsts and possible challenges. My mother told me that the first year of marriage can be trying, especially if you’ve never lived with your spouse before. Not only would it be a lot of fun, it would test my limits and help us understand each others’ quirks.
Every couple is different and have different ways of expressing love or sharing their world with one another, but I want to share with you the five things that kept us in check and going in our first year:
1. Find and do a couple’s activity.
When we were dating, we made an effort to explore and travel the area around my husband’s duty station. We kept that going here at our first duty station as husband and wife, but also started a dual hobby of biking. It gives us a sense of togetherness, biking together, and excitement when we explore new areas while riding. It can really be anything! Watching movies, hiking new trails, painting, dancing…whatever it is, remember to have fun while doing it.
2. Have sit-down dinners at your home.
One thing I love about my childhood home is the meals shared with my family around our dinner table. I lost touch with that after I moved out and began eating dinner around the TV (not to mention my apartment didn’t even have much room for a dining room table). Dinner time is when we sit down and talk about our day without distractions. It’s our safe space and quiet time together. While this isn’t always feasible (hello, military work schedules!), it makes it that much more special when we can.
3. Don’t forget about yourself.
We now live in Virginia, away from what we’re used to, getting the hang of the area together. Sometimes, we just need to do things on our own and navigate the unknown separately. Honestly, I was glued to my husband’s hip for half of our first year together because I was just too gosh darn excited to have him around so much. We pretty much had a long distance relationship up to that point. After awhile, I realized that we both needed to step back and do the things that are fun to us, like my husband would have his video game time and I would go and read. That’s one small example of how we utilize “me” time.
4. Take a legit vacation.
For real, spend some time exploring a destination that you would otherwise not have the time to go see. It doesn’t have to be a long or expensive trip. There are also ways to budget and save up. So, really do it. Go someplace and stay somewhere that isn’t your home. Use a long weekend or capitalize on some leave time and get out there.
5. Tell each other you love them.
Now that my husband and I are seeing the good, bad, and the ugly (you know what I mean—bathroom rituals, funky habits, etc.), make sure you remind each other why you fell in love.
What would your best tip be for newlyweds in their first year of marriage?
