How to Cope With Neglect in a Marriage

Some people decide to remain in a marriage in which they are neglected for various reasons. If you are one of such people, you can find ways to cope in such a marriage so that you may be able to work on the marriage and make it a better marriage.
How can you do that?
Let us look at five strategies you can use to cope with neglect in a marriage.

1. Try to Be Grateful
It is not easy to be grateful, especially in a marriage in which you feel you are being neglected by your spouse. However, learning to be grateful will help you to feel happy—research by neuroscientists shows that people who are grateful feel happy.
Therefore, write a few things you are grateful for each day in your diary. For example, you may be grateful to have good health or financial stability in the marriage. Jot these down.
Subsequently, ruminate on what you have written. It will help you to see that inspite of the bad situation there are things you can be thankful for and that will help you to feel positive thereby preventing depression.

2. Focus on Your Hobbies
If your marriage is not giving you the happiness you would have wished for, find fulfillment outside your marriage—make time to enjoy your hobbies so that you can make yourself happy.
Engaging in the activities you love will help you to keep yourself mentally engaged. Consequently, you will not worry too much about how your spouse is treating you and so you will not descend into pits of despair and sorrow.

3. Release Your Feelings by Talking to Someone
The neglect of your spouse may leave you feeling bitter about your situation. This may make you irritable and so you may pick quarrels with your spouse over trivial issues, and that can undermine the stability of your marriage.
Talking can be a helpful release—it will help you to vent and that can give you emotional healing. Therefore, talk about your feelings to someone who has also experienced the pain of being neglected in marriage before. When you put your pain, experiences and feelings into words it will help you to understand them and to deal with them.
Additionally, you may be able to glean some practical suggestions on how you can cope with the situation.

4. Attend Church Services Regularly
Research has shown that people who regularly go to a place of worship are the happiest people. Therefore, attend church services often.
As you listen to inspirational sermons, and as you hear the encouraging testimonies of people who have overcome challenges in their marriages, your spirit will be lifted and you will appreciate the fact that there is hope for tomorrow. Consequently, you will find it easier to be upbeat about life.

5. Pray Regularly
Your situation may make you suffer from a lot of stress in—you may worry a lot and get depressed. Consequently, you may put your health at risk.
You can deal with the stress associated with such a marriage by praying. Research shows that people who are more religious find it easier to cope with stress.
Therefore, make it a habit to intone prayers to the Merciful and Gracious Heavenly Father every morning and evening. Tell him about the pain in your heart and the loneliness you feel and He will comfort you and give you peace, for the Bible says in Psalms 147v3 that, “The Lord heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds” (Revised Version).

Conclusion
To cope with neglect in marriage, ruminate on your blessings often, spend a lot of time doing your hobbies, share your frustrations and heartaches with someone you trust, and look to the God of all comfort to soothe your pain.
By doing these things, you will find meaning in life which will help you to survive the marriage without giving in to despair.