There is nothing wrong with having individual interests and hobbies when you are married. It not only allows you to maintain your individuality but also keeps boredom at bay.

The trouble begins when hobbies turn into obsessions. When you start spending more time on your hobbies than you spend with your spouse, and you and your spouse start arguing about the amount of time and money you spend on your hobbies. Once you start down the path of obsession, it’s only a matter of time before your hobby takes away the focus and attention that your marriage deserves and you start to have marital problems.

Why Your Partner Complains About Your Hobby

When your wife or husband complains about your hobby, it’s not because she/he doesn’t want you to have fun. A demanding hobby or interest can bring up a lot of issues within a relationship – such as how to divide household chores, who gets time for themselves and when and how to have fun as a couple.

Ask yourself, is it really fair for your partner to pick up the slack at home while you spend your weekends playing video games or attending events related to your interests?  Doesn’t your wife or husband deserve just as much “me time” as you? Also, shouldn’t your partner have as much of a say as you in picking activities for you to do as a couple?

Save Your Marriage From Your Hobbies

Obsessing over a hobby will ruin your marriage, unless you do something about it, and here are some marriage tips to help you figure out exactly what you need to do.

Setting time limits and sticking to them is the first step. It shows your spouse that you hear their concerns and are willing to make changes for the sake of the relationship. It also shows that your marriage and family is your number one priority.

Tell your spouse about your time limits so that they can hold you accountable. However, don’t make it their job to tell you when to stop – this will only breed resentment.

Giving your marriage as much attention as you give your hobbies is extremely important. Your marriage deserves just as much time, money and effort as your hobby. Therefore, if your spend $100 and 6 hours on your hobby during the weekend, you need to allocate a similar amount of money and time on your marriage. You can put that money and time towards a date night with your partner and other fun activities for couples.

Find common interests. Do you sometimes wish that your spouse would just find a hobby of his/her own and leave you alone? I hate to break it to you but that would only make things worse. While having personal hobbies and interests is important, having totally separate interests can cause you to grow apart.

You need to figure out where your interests overlap and find things that you enjoy doing together. This will allow you to spend more time together without having to give up your hobbies.

Just because your hobby is affecting your marriage doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to give it up. By following these tips, you can save your marriage and still keep your hobby.