Far too often when someone thinks of couples counseling or a couples therapist, they think of a negative. And it is true, we have all heard the statistic that 50% of marriages end in divorce, I mean come on, this statistic is all over the internet! However, there are couples that want to work things out and realize that things are going south and they need couples counseling. They might be thinking: “my marriage is in trouble, we need to talk about this,” to “we dont communicate at all anymore.” Reaching out for couples therapy is not a bad thing, in fact it can be a healthy thing to do, even in the healthiest of marriages or relationships. I want to remove the negative stigma associated with couples counseling by sharing a top 10 list of reasons why marriage and committed relationships are healthy for us!
Thanks to the folks at Healthy Marriage Resource Center for the list!
www.healthymarriageinfo.org
Top 10 Health Benefits of Marriage:
- Men and women live longer.
- Better mental health, like reduced symptoms of depression.
- More likely to survive long-term illnesses, such as cancer.
- Satisfaction and happiness.
- Less risk-taking behaviors, such as substance abuse and engaging in illegal activities.
- Less chronic medical conditions.
- Married men and women are less likely to die from heart attacks.
- Having a spouse in old age reduces nursing home, hospital admissions and protects against loss of activities of daily living.
- Support from a spouse, such as hand holding, reduces physical pain and lowers stress response.
- “Warm partner support” in stressful situations lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and increases oxytocin; this protects the cardiovascular and immune system.
There are ways to divorce proof your marriage and ensure that it will be a long lasting and rewarding experience for both you and your partner. So consider coming in for some relationship training to make sure you and your spouse are in the best relationship shape you can be!
When you sit down tonight with your significant other tonight, talk about all the benefits that you both get by being together! Take a moment and enjoy your other half. Life is busy and full of things to keep us always on the move, but if you can slow down and find the positives in things and take the time to really notice the little things, I can assure you that life will be so much more rewarding and enjoyable!
Want to come in for an evaluation of how your relationship is doing?
Visit my website to connect with me!
Patrick Schultz MA LPC NCC
milwaukeecounselor.com