If you are dealing with spousal cheating and wondering can marriages survive infidelity my thoughts and prayers go out to you. Yes, marriages can survive infidelity and in many cases the marriage rebounds from the cheating stronger and better than ever. Does every marriage survive infidelity? No! Can your marriage survive infidelity? Yes!

Ok, for some reason your spouse decided to cheat on you. I hope he or she had a reason for cheating and it’s related to something that can be fixed in your marriage. Unfortunately, sometimes there isn’t a logical reason for cheating. You see, sometimes intimacy in the relationships is better than it ever has been. The husband and wife seem to have a solid relationship and the future looks bright. Then out of nowhere temptation is too great to resist and before you know it marriage infidelity has occurred. You both need to get to real reason of why.

So, how can marriages survive infidelity?

1. Be honest and realistic – Dealing with infidelity effectively requires being honest and transparent going forward, and being realistic about what lies ahead. The one thing that will quickly kill any chances of restoring your marriage is new mistruths. Any additional deceitfulness or dishonesty will setback any progress you have made and will most likely push you closer to a separation instead of restoration.
2. Give yourself some space and quite time – If your home has the space, I would suggest that you find a way to carve out some quite time for you to unwind and think about the affair and recovery. Use this time to check if things are going according to your plan and tweak anything that doesn’t seem to be helping you restore your marriage.
3. Find an outlet for stress – I can assure you that if you aren’t careful the stress and anxiety alone can make you sick (mentally and physically). So it’s important for you to find a way to let off steam. If you are into exercising now is as good as time as any to sweat a little and burn off some energy. If exercising isn’t your thing then read a good book (not involving infidelity). Perhaps spend some time with a good friend and have a little fun. Don’t sit around crying and letting infidelity suck the life out of you.
4. Create effective boundaries for recovery to succeed – Marriages can survive infidelity but they need a little help and boundaries provide the help. Now that you are dealing with infidelity, it’s important to know what is and isn’t acceptable anymore. For example, perhaps until your relationship is back on solid footing hanging out alone with friends is not permissible. Maybe, going outside for private phone conversations is no longer acceptable. Whatever the boundaries are make them clear and understood.
5. Reward your spouse for trying – Don’t leave your cheating spouse with little hope of restoring your marriage and getting a second chance. I understand that you are angry and want your lying, cheating spouse to feel pain like you have. However, at some point you need to give him or her hope and a reason to stick around and wait for you to forgive them.

So to answer the question, “can marriages survive infidelity” I say absolutely.

I know you weren’t prepared to deal with infidelity. None of us are. Hopefully, everyday your life and outlook for the future is getting brighter. I can tell you it will take a little while to get to the point where you trust your spouse again but you can do so if you allow yourself to heal and forgive. Please give yourself and your marriage a chance and you can survive infidelity. If you feel like you need a little more expert advice and guidance, please take a moment and learn more here, how can marriages survive infidelity?