Sometimes divorce proceedings are truly a surprise. The spouse who files prepares in secret so that their spouse is unaware of their intentions until they encounter a process server. Other times, at the marriage may have struggled for some time before one spouse decides to file.
Often, attempts to repair a marriage only serve to highlight how damaged the dynamic between the spouses has become. While the three arrangements below do occasionally help couples work through their issues and find a new, healthier dynamic, these approaches aimed at saving marriages are one of the first warning signs that divorce might be on the horizon.
Opening the marriage
Open marriages have become downright trendy in recent years. More people are now accepting of the idea that those in committed long-term relationships can have other partners beyond just their primary love interest. However, open marriages often look better on paper than in practice. According to statistics, approximately 92% of open marriages eventually end in divorce. Attempts to fix the relationship by seeking excitement and satisfaction elsewhere can lead to spouses connecting with other people and moving on to different relationships.
Initiating sleep divorces
Sleep divorce or moving into separate bedrooms can be a sign of marital disconnect. Some sleep divorces are truly successful. If the only issue putting pressure on a marital relationship is the snoring of one spouse or opposing spousal schedules for work and sleep, then moving into separate bedrooms could take pressure off the relationship. However, in some cases, spouses eventually realize that simply sleeping in separate rooms is not adequate to help them heal the damage to their marital relationship.
Beginning couples counseling
Like sleep divorces, couples counseling can lead to an improved marital dynamic. Sometimes, spouses just need a safe space in which to discuss their issues and work through their challenges. Other times, therapy serves to highlight a broken dynamic between the spouses to make it clear that continuing the marriage is unlikely to be beneficial for either spouse. Couples counseling boasts a high success rate, but the success rate does not necessarily reflect how many people stay married. Instead, it is a reflection of how many people feel satisfied with the way the counseling impacted them and their relationship.
Those trying to make certain moves to fix a marriage may also need to consider the possibility that divorce is on the horizon. Spouses who know that they might soon face divorce can obtain crucial financial records and information about the law to help them plan for the future, regardless of how things turn out.
