Why does your individual health matter so much to the overall well-being of your marriage?
Often, when we think about relational health, we focus on the health of the marriage itself. We ask ourselves questions like: How much quality time do we spend together? Do we participate in shared activities? How often do we share a good conversation? Do we make enough time for date nights? Do we fight well?
All these questions are important, but they’re only part of the whole. Marriage is a relationship between two whole individuals. Each person’s overall well-being shapes the state of your relationship.
Your Well-Being Informs Every Interaction
Both you and your spouse bring your individual well-being into every conversation and interaction. Your moods, thought patterns, habits, past experiences, and baggage can all affect the way you engage with one another. If you don’t care for your health—physical, spiritual, and psychological—unaddressed issues will spill over into your marriage.
When you suppress or ignore stress, anxiety, or anger, that affects your ability to stay connected to your spouse, empathize, listen well, and react in healthy ways. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, but one of many ways to take better care of your marriage. When you tend to your own well-being, you bring the best version of yourself to your relationship. That’s one of the most loving things you can do for your spouse.
You Can Grow Separately, Together
It’s possible for you and your spouse to each grow as individuals, together. When you both pursue deeper personal well-being, you build greater empathy, deeper intimacy, and a more profound understanding of one another. That’s true even if you don’t engage in the same daily routines.
While building individual health is beneficial, it’s still great to find a shared practice. You don’t have to do it at the same time each day, but if you share a practice, you can share with one another about it. For instance, a daily devotional is a great way to share a routine that you can each pursue on your own time.
Whether you read a daily entry together or separately, a devotional can become a natural conversation starter on busy days. Devotional time allows for introspection and reflection. Sharing your reflections and personal impressions of each entry can help deepen your relationship.
A Daily Devotional Can Improve Your Well-Being
Spending time with a daily devotional as a couple can improve your individual well-being, which in turn can pay dividends in your marriage. That’s why we wrote The One Year Positive Mental Health Devotional. This devotional benefits both individuals and couples, and it’s designed to offer biblical insights and practical perspectives in just five minutes a day.
As a husband-and-wife team serving married couples over decades, we know the positive impact a devotional can have on marriages. Even if you take up a daily reading habit on your own, that can create a ripple effect in your relationship. The One Year Positive Mental Health Devotional integrates biblical truths with psychological insights, with each entry lovingly crafted to keep you grounded.
Life isn’t always easy; it helps to have a constant daily routine to come back to. Whether you’re facing a difficult season and need truths to anchor you, or you’re looking for gentle next steps to get you through your day, this devotional has something relatable for everyone. Learn more and pick up your copy here.
How do you and your spouse care for your individual well-being? Share your insights and breakthroughs in the comments.
