Are you the kind of person who takes work stress home with you? Is it easy for you to decompress and transition from work-mode to home-mode?

Spouses can help each other cope with professional stress. However, this doesn’t mean you should dump all your stress on your partner.  Even happily married couples can become overwhelmed when work stress becomes a prominent part of their married life. Here’s some marriage advice to help you avoid that.

Have a Fun Ritual

It’s important to have a ritual that marks the end of work-mode and the beginning of home-mode. For some people, something as simple as changing from work clothes into stay-at-home clothes is enough. Others need something more like an hour-long workout or an hour of relaxing music.

The ritual should be something that you can reasonably complete every day before you start interacting with your spouse and kids. This helps to minimize the impact that your work stress has them.

Have Boundaries

Transitioning from work to home-mode is a lot easier when you confine your work to certain times and locations. However, this isn’t always possible especially if your job requires you to be reachable at all times.

If it’s not possible for you to confine your work to particular times and locations, try designating a few hours a day for your family. Even the busiest people can designate an hour for dinner with the family or bedtime with the kids. During this time, eliminate all distractions and focus on your family.

Have a Support Network

Placing all your work stress on your partner is unfair and bad for your marriage. You need a support network of friends and mentors who can help you deal with your professional stress. Studies show that people who have strong support networks are less stressed.

How you manage your work-stress can make a big difference in your married life. And if you want to stay happily married, you have to reduce the impact your professional stress has on your partner and kids.