Marriage is a life long journey and if marriage is a Ph.D course, you will only get your report card on the last day of your life on this world.

Marriage is a life-long journey. There is no right or wrong. There is no textbook that teaches you what an ideal marriage life is.

Everybody’s marriage differs. So do yours and mine.

I know some couples who are getting married signed up for marriage preparation course. They learn about experiences from the teachers, other couples plus some powerpoint slides showing the number of things they have to do if they want their marriage to work out.

Yes, marriage preparation can give the couples some basic insights of what marriage is about. However, some of my friends who attended them said it was a complete waste of time.

from catholic.org.sg

In fact, for me, the routine in a marriage is more important and effective than just attending a few sessions of a marriage preparation course.

Everyday is going to be stressful for the husband and wife, especially nowadays both are working adults.

When couples returned home, they bound to want to unload their stress on each other. The purpose again is not to find a solution but just to seek a listening ear.

What has been helpful for us is me and wife will go for a 1-hour walk around our house just before we sleep. The night is quiet and peaceful and it certainly is the best time to share with each other’s daily events.

Beside talking and chit-chating, I believe it is a very conscious effort to assure each other that we have done our best and encouraging each other that we can always do better next time.

We have planned it to be done on daily basis but due to work, sometimes we have to put it off. Thus, there are times we take turn to remind each other that it has been quite some time we had last went for a walk.

Imagine a coke bottle being shaken for 1 minute. What will happened? Gas formed in the bottle and sizzled when the cap is opened soon after.

What if we don’t open it soon? We keep on shaking the bottle for 5 minutes.

The gas would have accumulated so much that the bottle may explode anytime.

Our bodies are just like the coke bottle. The gas is the stress building within us. We don’t wish to end up like the coke bottle.

So 5 things you can do right now to help your partner release stress:
1. Make it a daily routine to show interest in each other’s life
2. Go for a drink at the coffeeshop.
3. Make tea at home and on some soft music
4. Go to bed tne minutes earlier and just chit chat
5. Massage your partner and chit chat at the same time