For a happily ever after, learn about the many phases of marriage and how to navigate them effectively

Every marriage goes through a predictable process. Everyone knows that love evolves and changes with time. Long-term relationships go through several phases, each with its own set of emotions, difficulties to conquer, and development possibilities. You and your partner will go through these phases at a different rate and, for the most part, you will go through each step more than once. This means that most marriages will go through each of these phases at least once.

A couple’s journey through marriage may be broken down into several key stages.

1. A Couple’s Honeymoon

It’s common for the first year or two of marriage to be a passion-fueled time, when the emphasis is on the attraction that drew you to walk down the aisle in the first place. In the early stages of a relationship, a couple is frequently consumed by the enthralling romance they experience.

2. The Process of Moving In and Making a Home

Following a long and happy marriage, the second stage begins when the previous one ends. This may happen gradually or abruptly depending on the couple’s circumstances and their future as a unit. In this stage, you discover things about your spouse’s talents, flaws, and personal habits that you may not have known (or gladly disregarded).

3. A sense of disappointment

Once you reach the Disillusionment stage, it is time to move on to the next phase of your relationship. This is the season of love’s winter solstice, and for some couples, it means the end of the journey. There is no denying it at this point: the power conflicts that have plagued this relationship for some time have now surfaced. It’s not uncommon for newlyweds to question, “Is this it?”

4. The Security Net

When a couple reaches this point in their marriage, they realize their spouse has just as many flaws as virtues, and they each go back to redefining who they are. Ideally, this stage will be a time for you to reacquaint yourselves with each other and work through any previous issues you may have.

5. Again, I’m wholehearted.

To get the best results, couples must be able to accept their partners’ flaws as well as their own as they realize there is no such thing as the ideal spouse for everyone.