Today, most working couples have to juggle the responsibilities of two or three roles: employee, spouse and parent. Their days start early in the morning and end late in the night, and 52 percent of these couples struggle to maintain work-life balance.

Lack of proper work-life balance can cause stress in marriage. Many married couples are stuck in a stress cycle whereby they bring stress from their workplaces to their homes and vice versa. The only way to break this cycle is to avoid bringing the stress of work home. Here are some tips on how to do this.

How to Avoid Bringing the Stress of Work Home

• Vent occasionally

Coming home and venting for hours may leave you feeling less stressed but it can make you seem like you are constantly complaining. Therefore, it is not a good idea to rehash every problem with your partner. You have to be selective about the experiences that you share with your partner.

It also helps to limit the amount of time you spend discussing stressful work problems with your spouse. If you bring it up as soon as you get home, do not revisit the issue during or after dinner unless it is absolutely necessary

• Unwind

Don’t start complaining as soon as you walk through the door. Instead, when you get home, take some time to relax and unwind. Change your clothes and/or take a shower and use this time to decide what you are going to share with your partner. You’ll also be more receptive to hearing about your partner’s day when you are relaxed.

• Balance the negative and positive talk

When discussing your job with your partner, talk about the positive as well as the negative. This balance is essential for working couples since one party’s stress can easily affect the other party. Balancing the two leaves the listener feeling good as opposed to feeling stressed out.

• Listen

Chances are that you are not the only one who had a stressful day at work. Therefore, if you want your partner to listen to you, listen to him or her as well. Get rid of all the distractions such as the T.V and listen actively by making eye contact and reacting to what your partner is saying. This way, your partner won’t feel ignored and therefore he or she won’t feel the need to bring up the issue over and over again.

• Confide in someone else

If you still want to vent even after sharing your issues with your partner, talk to someone else such as a friend or family member. This way, you can avoid overwhelming your spouse with your stress talk. You probably don’t get enough time with your spouse anyway so spend whatever time you have together building a healthy relationship.

• Disconnect electronically

Unless your job requires you to stay connected all the time, don’t take any work-related phone calls or emails once you are home. You need to relax and spend quality time with your spouse and kids. Pick a cutoff time to put aside all your gadgets and stick to it.

If working couples are to enjoy a healthy relationship, they must strive to maintain work-life balance.  Bringing the stress of work home can only create more relationship problems.