With the news last week of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s split after 25 years of marriage, the media and general public have been raising a question: Can this marriage be saved?
If an affair wasn’t enough, we now know that Schwarzenegger fathered a child with a staffer in their home. With so much deceit and betrayal, it’s difficult to imagine any relationship withstanding such circumstances, but many couples attempt to defy the odds and get back together after a falling out.
It appears that Schwarzenegger and Shriver will not be reuniting, but many others in less extreme situations hope to get back together with an ex. In fact, according to one online survey, most people still have feelings for an ex: 71 percent of people said they think about their ex too much, and 57 percent said thinking about their ex prevents them from finding new love.
A Psychology Today article outlines some considerations you should make when potentially reuniting with a former boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Discuss what went wrong the first time to avoid future pitfalls.
- Ensure you really want to reunite with this individual for the sake of the relationship, not because you miss having a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Remember why you broke up in the first place – are you confident this won’t happen again?
- Is this just another step in an on-again, off-again relationship? If so, avoid the heartache and move on.
Most importantly, both individuals have to be committed to each other and committed to beginning this relationship with a clean slate. If you bring any hurt and resentment into this second attempt, the relationship will never get off the ground.
CatholicMatchers, have you ever given a relationship another try? What needs to happen in order to make the second go-around successful?
