While many married couples have lived together in the months, or even years, before their wedding, some couples choose to take the traditional route and keep separate homes until their union. As you embark on your journey of living together, you want to find ways to keep the peace when you realize that you both have different ways of doing things. As two individuals that are used to living alone, you will need to adjust your expectations and find compromise. With the help of our marriage therapist, Dr. Phillips, many couples find this transition much simpler. These are a few tips to help you avoid any conflict when moving in with your spouse.
If you have both previously lived alone, you may quickly realize that you have a lot of doubles. You may both have couches, coffee tables, toasters, coffee makers, and more everyday essentials and kitchen appliances. As you move into your new space, you may realize that you do not have space for everything and you also do not need to have two of everything. Sit down and discuss what you will keep and what you will donate. When you do this together, you can prevent conflicts and reach compromises as a team.
Make moving into your new home with your new husband or wife an experience to remember. Although there are a lot of moving parts when you first get into your new space, you should take the time to create memories by shopping for some common items together. Consider decorations, stylish elements, and other necessary purchases together. Go out to the store and peruse the shelves and discuss your visions for the apartment together as a team.
Let’s face it. Not everything will be blissful when you from living alone to living with someone else. Although you have love for your significant other, you should still expect to compromise on some issues. Pick your battles when it comes to moving into your apartment. Choose what is important to you and fight for that. Let the little things go so that you can keep the peace by making compromises and learning to coexist.
Even though you now live in shared space, carve out a personal space that you can enjoy. Take the corner of the living room and style it with your favorite comfy chair or area rug. Add your pictures to make it feel personal and fun. When you are overwhelmed, you can spend time in your personal space so that you can feel grounded and still stay connected to what’s yours.
By following these tips, you can keep the peace when you move into a new home with your brand new spouse. Getting married is an exciting milestone for your life, but marriage requires dedication and effort to keep afloat. If you are looking for solutions to strengthen your relationship, talk to our expert marriage therapist, Dr. Phillips, today!
Heather Oller is the owner and founder of Orlando Thrive Therapy, Coaching, and Counseling. She is a licensed counselor and a family mediator who has over 23 years of dedicated work as a professional in the mental health field. Through her company's mission, she continues to pave the way for future therapists, and their clients, who want a higher quality of life....and who want to thrive, rather than just survive. You can contact Orlando Thrive Therapy at (407) 592-8997 for more information.