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Avoiding Money Fights with Your Mate

It’s no surprise that the recession has caused stress in people’s lives. Pressure of any sort has a negative impact on relationships, but financial strain can cause even more of a burden between loved ones. While the recession is affecting relationships worldwide, for some reason it’s having more of a negative impact on the marriages and relationships of American’s than in other countries. Read: Surviving A Breakup During The Recession

Reuters reported that in a recent poll, 30 percent of Americans attested to the recession adding stress or strain to their relationship or marriage—if not ruining it entirely. This compared to only 23 percent of Canadians, 24 percent of French and 12 percent of Germans admitting a similar effect.

Rather than dissect why Americans are suffering more than other nationalities, it seemed like a better idea to come up with tips to ensure our relationships don’t fail because of economic woes. Buck up fellow Americans! Here are four ways to recession-proof our marriages and relationships. Read: 2 Ways Recessions Can Strengthen Relationships

1. Communication and honesty. During a recession it is even more important to communicate with a partner not only about your relationship, but about your financial situation as well. This is the time to be open and honest, not only will it make it easier to tackle the hurdles in front of you, but it will also relieve the anxiety caused by keeping secrets to yourself.

2. Work as a team. When stress hits, it can be easy to fall into a cycle of withdrawing from your partner and then lashing out. But during these tough times, it is best to make sure you both are on the same page and working together, not separately, to try and solve all of your issues. Read: Is The Recession Really Good For Our Sex Lives?

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–Written by Jed Mellick for YourTango.com

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