As women, we wear so many hats. We often do it gladly, because every hat we wear is a meaningful part of our lives. But doing something with joy in your heart doesn’t mean that there isn’t stress attached. Being a mom, having a career, caring for aging parents, and being a wife can all come with a good dose of stress.
Out of all the hats we wear, that of wife can be one of the most wonderful and most challenging. Being a wife requires a great deal of effort and understanding. To join your life with another human being is a beautiful thing, but boy does it come with a lot of compromise.
As a wife, I experience ups and downs. Sometimes our marriage feels perfect, and sometimes—not so much. At the end of the day, our commitment to each other never drifts, so we always find a way back to a place that makes perfect sense for our union. But during those moments, where things are going wonderfully, I often take the time to pause. I pause because I need to reflect on my contributions. It’s an opportunity for me to take inventory of what I am doing right and what could seriously use some improvement.
I’ve leaned that transforming my experience as a wife is not all about what my husband does or doesn’t do. Transforming my life as a wife is, in large part, about what I do and don’t do. Much of the control lies in my hands.
I think we all have the power to transform our lives as wives if we make a few simple changes. It doesn’t mean that your husband’s behavior doesn’t impact your role as wife. It just means that you recognize that you have far more control over the situation than you think.
Here are 5 tips for transforming your life as a wife:
1. Ask for help.
As a woman and a wife, I can completely own up to the fact that I often have a hard time asking for help. Ladies, let’s stop doing this to ourselves. If you need your husband to help with something, just ask him. Having that helping hand transforms your life instantly.
2. Give it your best.
We enter marriage with the best intentions, but somewhere along the way many of us forget to give our relationship our best. Whether it’s your best energy, best support, best cooking skills or best encouragement—our marriages change for the better when we give it the best we’ve got.
3. Practice self-care.
Don’t you feel better when you take care of yourself? I know I do. You can’t neglect caring for yourself (because you won’t ask for help), and then get mad at your husband because you feel run down and tired. Make self-care your priority and he will have no choice but to embrace it.
4. Stop pointing the finger.
Just remember what they say: When you point a finger there are three fingers pointing back at you. I am not suggesting that your husband is never wrong (we all know that’s not true). I am, however, suggestion that maybe you would be a lot happier in your marriage if you spent less time playing the blame game.
5. Take off the cape.
The single best way to transform your life as a wife is to take he cape off and throw it away. Do you know what’s more important than being Superwoman? Being health, happy, and in charge of your destiny. The more you act like you can do it all, the more you end up doing it all by yourself.
I think that implementing these simple tips really can make your life as a wife more joyful and less stressful. Remember, we always hold the power to transform every area of our lives–even the areas that require us to partner with another person.
BMWK wives, what can you do to transform your life as a wife?