Marriages are destroyed when unhealthy behaviors creep into the relationship. These subtle killers tear down the walls and erode the foundation. Decide to eliminate these practices and watch your marriage grow stronger.
Ignore. Do what you want regardless of what the other thinks or feels. Make plans without consulting your partner, talk on the phone while alone in the car and neglect acknowledging them when they return home.
Refuse. Turn down opportunities to be alone with your partner. Make work, hobbies or friends the excuse. Say no to romantic gestures and refuse to let yourself have fun with your spouse.
Ridicule. Use your spouse’s actions and thoughts as a way to get a laugh. Tell stories that humiliate and expose your partner. This can be done privately amongst friends and acquaintances, or when your spouse is their to hear the laughter.
Treat like a Child. Give your spouse chores and yell at them the same way you would a child. Be sure to withhold any rewards if their jobs are not done to your standards. Demand obedience and do not allow back talk.
Keep a List. Mentally record all your spouses wrongdoings. Remind them of failures and mistakes often. Be able to count the number of times they have failed you.
Be Rude. Ignore basic manners when with your spouse. Please and thank you are completely unnecessary words.
Lump. Put all men or women in the same category. Think that all of them think the same way, make the same stupid mistakes and behave exactly alike.
Know it All. If your spouse thought or liked something 2 years ago or 20 years ago, then that’s just how it is. Do not consider the fact they might change or grow. Be ready to answer for them since you know them so well.
Never Apologize. Ever. Even if you realize a mistake, do not say you are sorry. Groveling is beneath you.
Forget. Do not bother to write down events, whether that is your spouse’s birthday or a party your are supposed to attend together or a doctors appointment that your partner needs a ride home from. Set alarms and reminders for work and friend related events, but forget your commitments with your spouse.
Finally, one of the biggest marriage killers of all is to confide in someone of the opposite sex, especially while practicing any or all of the above with your spouse. It may not be apparent that reason your partner is cold and distant is precisely because of the marriage killers in place.
Start changing yourself. Refuse to practice any of the above, even if provoked. Make it your mission to repair breached walls. Change in your marriage may come slowly, but by practicing healthy behaviors the change in you will be worth the effort.
