Marriage Versus Career

Many people have a deep relationship with their careers. Those same people may have heard the saying: "Don’t bring your work home with you." There is more to that age-old saying, and it is necessary to understand why. Separating work from home is very important for a healthy relationship. It’s not always possible to separate the two, but it’s essential to understand why you need to avoid bringing work home as much as possible. Let’s go over how to separate work and how and why it’s necessary.

Sleep Quality

If you can't separate your career from your marriage, then you may find that you have a hard time getting sleep. Now a simple solution for people is to wait for the next line up of Black Friday mattress deals and buy a new one. The problem is, replacing your mattress will fix some of your back problems but will not ease the strain your career has on your marriage. The best solution is a free option. Take some time to build boundaries with your job and your home life.

Priorities

When the career comes between two people in a marriage, it shows where each person’s priorities are. It’s necessary to understand that prioritizing work over marriage is a relationship killer. Marriage should always come before money since people do better when they have a support system. If your partner does not feel threatened by your career, they may be more willing to take part and support you. If they feel threatened by your interests and job oriented behavior, you are likely to lose that support.

When Two Worlds Collide

For many people, it is easy to separate work and marriage since people often work in different places as their partners. What about the people that do? The New York Times discusses how couples handle working two jobs and keeping the relationship going. Imagine if one of those jobs collided with your spouse's career. If your jobs are the same or you work for the same business, it might be time to set up some clear boundaries. 

At first, creating boundaries does not seem necessary. Many people have a mutual bond with their partner, and they believe they can avoid problems down the line without having to pre-plan for it. No matter your situation, it is essential to at least set some clear boundaries, even if you never end up having to implement them. "Keep work at work and home at home" is an example of relationship guidelines. However, some people may need more complex boundaries. Below is a shortlist of potential guidelines you could consider setting.

• No PDA at work
• Keep our private plans private
• Don’t bring work home
• Working out marriage complaints at home

Counseling

Let’s say you have already had conflicts of work and marriage, and you feel you can’t get out of the loop. The best option to help work out broken or lacking boundaries is to consider counseling. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. You may find yourself overwhelmed by your career, and you also find that you cannot talk to your spouse about it. Counseling can help you figure out why you are having trouble leaning on your spouse for support. It may also help you find out why you are having trouble keeping your career boundaries intact.

The Other Side of the Coin

Depending on your relationship, you might find it hard to keep your marriage at home. You may find yourself venting to a colleague instead of focusing on your career goals. If you find you are having marital problems that seem to cut down your work and home boundaries, it’s essential to talk to your spouse or seek counseling.

Your career is necessary and an active part of your life, just like your marriage. To keep unity in both sectors of your life, you must build those boundaries and keep them steady. It’s not one hundred percent possible to section these two parts of your life, but it is possible to do your best. You may be the breadwinner in your marriage, so your career may pay the bills. It is essential to keep good standing with your job and partner. Seek counseling if needed, take a brief vacation from work, and sit down with your partner to discuss boundaries.