Tips for Dealing with the "3-Year Glitch" in Your Marriage

According to "Yahoo News", a recent study in Britian has revealed that the marital "7-year itch" has now turned into the "3-year glitch", the time when married couples start taking one another for granted. The study revealed that 67% of couples who once saw their partner's little imperfections as endearing find them annoying around 36 months into the marriage. Of those imperfections, the biggest was said to be weight gain. Other imperfections noted were bad hygiene, bad bathroom habits, inlaws, and lack of romance...among others.

Reasons for the change from 7 years to 3 years is said to most likely be financial stress and longer working hours that eventually overtake a couple's time to enjoy one another.

Maggie and Ben noticed a difference in their relationship about 3 years after they were married. At the time they thought something was wrong with them as a couple. They had heard of the 7-year itch, but had not been married that long. It was scary to them that they were already experiencing the symptoms.

The good news regarding the 3-year glitch is that you can prevent it or stop it once it starts. All it takes is mindful effort on your part. Here are some tips to get you started:

-Take time each day to focus on each other, even if it is only for 10 or 15 minutes. Giving your partner your undivided attention each day, even for a brief period of time will have a positive effect on the relationship.

-Remember why you fell in love to begin with, and learn to focus on your partner's good qualities rather than the annoying ones.

-Try to share something positive about your day. When you come together at the end of a grueling work day, it is natural to want to vent about every bad thing that happened during the day. Try not to do this all the time. Try and share something positive.

-Laugh together. Laughter is healing. It is impossible to feel angry or annoyed with someone when you are laughing. Laughter draws you closer together because of the good vibes that result from it.

-Pick your battles. Not everything is worth an argument. Some things just aren't that big of a deal. If he leaves the cap off the toothpaste every single day, it may be annoying. But is it really that major of an issue as to cause a problem in your marriage?

-Evaluate your feelings. If you find yourself getting excessively annoyed with your partner over little things, it could be because of an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. What is the real reason you are upset?

Going through the 3-year glitch can throw you off balance as a couple, but it all it takes is time and effort on your part to get back on track.