Marriage isn’t easy. It takes a lot of love, compromise and understanding to keep a marriage happy. If you are finding yourself miserable in your marriage or misunderstood – you have simply got to do things to improve your situation, otherwise you will always feel unhappy. There are things you can do to improve and evolve your relationships.

Here are 6 tips for a happy marriage 

Communication 
You may have heard that communication is key – for good reason. The moment your relationship lacks communication it is doomed to fail. Be transparent with your partner. Let them know how you feel and what it is that you need from them. Lack of communication only builds up resentments that will inadvertently, blow up a marriage.

Reliability
Be reliable. Say you’re going to do something – do it. Don’t make excuses. Nothing spells out marriage material as a partner that you can rely on.

Chemistry 
You have got to work on keeping the romance in your marriage if you want it to last. Be passionate for one another, keep surprising each other and make time for each other. Chemistry is a two-way street – if one of you gives up on the lovey-dovey stuff, your relationship will eventually lack the intimacy required to keep the spark alive.

Respect
The foundations of a good marriage are built on mutual respect. It’s a simple yet essential concept for a happy marriage. Give and demand the respect you both deserve. If you fail to do this then you will either be the narcissist or the doormat in a relationship – and it will lead to unhappiness for you both, queue sad violin music. 

Independence
Ever heard of the taunt ‘Get a life?’. Well, if you don’t have your own life outside of your marriage – you should really start considering getting one. If you’re not independent in your marriage then you’re co-dependent. This means you put way too much pressure on happiness gained from your relationship than from within and if that marriage doesn’t work out, your world will come crashing down around you. The more you invest in yourself – your happiness, and your independence – the happier your marriage will be.

Joint Interests
As much as it is important to be able to stand on your own two feet in a marriage, it is also key to have some similar interests or hobbies. Couples who have some common interests together are more likely to stay together. Whether that’s working out, going to a pottery class, skiing, whatever – make sure you have some hobbies you can do just the two of you. It’s a great bonding experience and allows you both to associate each other with doing something fun that you both enjoy.

The bottom line is. Marriage isn’t easy. If you want to have a happy marriage. You’re going to have to work on it, daily. Relationships go through highs and dips and are never going to be perfect. You have got to love your partner warts and all and take the good with the bad in order to go the distance.