Married at First Sight relationship expert Rachel DeAlto shares her five tips for a happy marriage exclusively with Us Weekly. Check out the list ahead of the FYI relationship series’ season 4 reunion special on Tuesday, November 1.
Marriage, love and relationships are full of fun and fulfillment, but they also take hard work and consistent effort. Here are five ways to make your marriage work:
1. Practice Forgiveness.
No one is perfect. People make mistakes. Choosing to forgive means truly releasing the hold that your partner’s wrong act has on you and your marriage. Communicate through difficult times with heartfelt conversation that involves empathy and active listening. You can’t work toward a future together by holding on to negatives of the past. It doesn’t work.
2. Be Self-Aware.
Remember how we were reminded in No. 1 that no one is perfect? Yep, that means us, too. Learn to look at your own actions objectively. Accept responsibility, and most important, make an effort to alter the words and actions that negatively impact your spouse and marriage.
3. Trust Each Other.
A healthy, loving marriage means that both partners trust each other. They trust what they say, what they do, and they give each other the benefit of the doubt. Trust can be broken, and trust can be rebuilt, but it always has to be a part of the equation.
4. Be No. 1 Fans.
Not of your favorite sports teams (although that can be a bonding experience!) but of each other. Support and encourage each other’s hopes and dreams. Work with your spouse to help them reach their personal goals. Never demean or judge. Be their No. 1 fan.
5. Enjoy Sex.
Physical intimacy and connection is a natural biological desire, and any healthy marriage involves a satisfactory sex life. Consistently make the effort to re-create those magnetic feelings of when you first met and fell in love.
Integrating these five into a marriage can be immensely helpful in achieving a healthy, happy relationship.
Married at First Sight, produced by Kinetic Content, airs on FYI Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET.
