GETTING MARRIED (ESTABLISHING A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP)

As exciting and wonderful as it is to fall in love and find a life partner, the process of shifting from single to committed can bring unexpected challenges. Although relationships can feel truly effortless in the initial stages, as time goes on, they require more effort. Many times people are unprepared for the adjustments and compromises that may be needed.

When couples make the transition to establishing their commitment and beginning a new life together, they sometimes realize that they hadn't considered many of the issues that can arise in this transition. Some degree of conflict is inevitable at that point. They may find that they don't share the same dreams, values or even ideas about what they want in their relationship. They now may find that their personal habits and routines are in conflict with their partner's. They may find that they have different ideas about how to manage and share household tasks, how to spend or save money, how to interact with each others' family, and whether or not they want to start a family of their own. The communication strategies that may have worked well for them previously, may be insufficient to address their new challenges.