Our life, in general, is created of stages. We begin as an infant and then advance to a toddler. We then enter childhood. Soon the teenage years creep in. After that we are young adults and advance into adulthood. We then become elderly. In addition to our life cycle of stages, we also go through many stages as we travel through life.
We cycle through stages when encountering the death of a loved one or another tragic experience. When angered we usually go through many stages also. Marriage and relationships are no different. They are full of stages.
The stages that people in relationships cycle through are often very predictable as time passes by. The relationships may be between a couple, coworkers, or other family members. However, they all carry out a very similar pattern of stages.
Depending on how long you have been married and how long you have been with your mate, you may have already encountered several stages of your marriage.
Most newlyweds begin at the same stage. The stages then advance at different rates according to the mood, personality, and strength of your marriage. With some couples, the stages are more intense and more prominent than with others. Yet, most couples will encounter the stages sometime in their relationship.
The stages are very normal. The key is to be aware of them and to keep moving forward. When a couple gets stuck in a stage, trouble may begin. The couple may feel trapped and hopeless. This can be very frustrating if the couple gets stuck in a very early stage of marriage.
A marriage counselor may be an option to help the couple identify the stage and help them work their way out of it and toward another one.
In my next few articles, I will help identify the various stages in a relationship.
The Biggest Challenges to Marriage