“Don’t fake being OK. You only hurt yourself. Be real with what you are going through but don’t let it consume you.” —Anonymous

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When saying “OK” all the time becomes the default characteristic of your marriage, you are at the tipping point of marital demise. It’s what precipitates couples on coaching sessions where one spouse wants out. Things are “OK” right before the marriage is no longer desired.

Put in grading terms, “OK” means satisfactory, but not good — you’d get a “C”. That’s just one step above a D, which doesn’t pass the class.

“Spend your tax return. Because, really…you earned it.” —Dayana Yochim

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No matter your financial situation, preparing taxes can be a trying time for those of us who are MFJ (married filing jointly). Maybe you will owe money. Maybe there’s tension between who is preparing the taxes and how it’s being done. Or maybe it’s just the 2600 pages of tax code that causes frustration.

Regardless, there’s always emotions tied to money.  

“Explain your feelings instead of acting them out and you will find solutions instead of arguments.” —Anonymous

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Rejection – you’re doing it and you may not even realize it. Most of the time it doesn’t even involve a verbal “no” – you avoid a topic, you come up with an excuse, you bury yourself in work. But when you reject your spouse just because you don’t want to put forth effort, your marriage suffers.

What if you tried this new restaurant? Checked out a local hike? Have dinner with these friends of mine? Change things up in the bedroom?

“Nobody is too busy, it’s just a matter of priorities.” —Anonymous

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Yes, kids are a blessing. Careers are vital. Hobbies and friendships brighten life. But when we focus on so many of these “good” things at the detriment of our marriage, what could be great becomes mundane and burdensome.

It seems like almost everyone who has been married for any period of time has fallen into the trap — “Roommate Syndrome”.