Personal space and privacy are an important part of a healthy marriage. It’s hard to have a healthy marriage when your entire lives revolve around each other and your kids. However, it’s also challenging to tell your spouse you want some alone time without hurting their feelings or getting into an argument. You need to be very good at communication in marriage to achieve that so here are some tips to help you out.

Explain your desire to improve yourself

Many people are more than happy to give their spouses the space they need to work on themselves. Therefore, when you tell your spouse that you’d like to have more quality time alone, focus on how it’s going to help you improve yourself. You can mention how it’s going to improve your relationship, but don’t dwell on it. Otherwise, all your spouse is going to hear is that you are unhappy with your marriage so you want to spend more time apart.

Explain exactly what you mean by personal space

It’s important to explain to your spouse that having “personal space” doesn’t mean that you’re going to go away into the woods and shut your partner out. Explain that you’re still going to make sure that his or her needs are met. Don’t leave any gray areas or room for misinterpretation.

Be Flexible

It’s important to keep checking in with your spouse and ensure he’s still okay with the amount of time you’re spending alone. Recognize that there’ll be times when you won’t be able to have as much space as you want because your spouse needs your support. There’ll also be times when you can take an entire weekend away for yourself. As long as you’re flexible, you should be able to make it work.

People need different levels of personal space. Just because your spouse is comfortable with the amount of time you’re currently spending together doesn’t mean you have to be too. With good communication in marriage, you can find a balance that you’re both comfortable with.