Let’s face it infidelity is painful, devastating, frustrating, and saddening, but, sadly, it happens. We all hope it doesn’t happen to us, but it can, and what may surprise us most is when we are the perpetrator of the infidelity.
Either way, when infidelity does happen, it can shake a couple’s foundation to the core, leaving a trail of heartache, betrayal, and broken trust. However, there’s hope! If both partners are committed to rebuilding the relationship and re-establishing trust and emotional intimacy, it is sometimes possible!
Though, it will require patience, empathy, and consistent effort. If you have been unfaithful to your spouse and sincerely want to heal from your affair and possibly make your marriage even better than before, follow the five crucial steps in this article.
How to help your spouse heal from your affair?
1. Accept Accountability:
The first essential step toward helping your spouse heal from your affair is taking full responsibility for your actions. In fact, you may be surprised how healing you find this step for yourself. Acknowledge the damage and the hurt you caused; no shifting blame or making excuses. By genuinely apologizing and by accepting responsibility, you can show your wounded spouse that you understand the painful impact your actions have had and prove your willingness to change.
Remember, a sincere apology is more than expressing remorse and accepting accountability. It also means allowing your spouse to express their emotions. Your spouse may express anger, sadness, betrayal, or a range of emotions.
Listen to their feelings without being defensive, pointing fingers, or dismissing them. This is the time to show empathy and validate their emotions, assuring your heartbroken spouse that you are committed to healing your marriage.
2. Operate Openly:
It is time to put all your cards on the table. It may be uncomfortable, but healing can sometimes be. Rebuilding trust necessitates complete transparency and openness. Be willing to answer questions about the details of the affair with honesty and candor.
Revealing all without being hurtful or salacious is needed right now to wipe the slate clean. Concealing relevant details will only deepen distrust and sully the healing process. This will also enable you to start your own healing. You will find that speaking the truth feels like a cathartic release.
Next, discuss the new terms of transparency in your relationship. Your spouse may want to know your whereabouts throughout the day, have access to social media, or may want you to stop using social media altogether until trust is regained. Be patient with your spouse’s needs. Try to be generous with the access you give your spouse, offering access to your phone, emails, or online usage. It will go a long way in helping your partner rebuild their sense of security.
3. Communicate Consistently:
After your affair, your spouse may end up feeling vulnerable and distrustful. By re-establishing open, honest communication, you are one step closer to healing the affair. Encourage your partner to express their feelings, concerns, and needs openly by being supportive and practicing active listening. Validate their feelings, avoid defensive responses, and allow them to speak freely.
In turn, build the habit of expressing what is on your mind, sharing both positive and difficult emotions with your spouse, whether it concerns them or not. The last thing you want is to come home in a glum mood due to work stress, triggering your spouse to feel you are unhappy to be in their company after a long day at work.
Be open to difficult discussions and be willing to address any issues lingering from the affair. Also, embrace the unity you feel when you share in each other’s daily struggles and joys, reconnecting emotionally and rebuilding the foundation of your relationship.
4. Seek Support:
Affairs are often a symptom of more deep-seated struggles in the relationship, the couple, or both. Remember, there is nothing weak or shameful in seeking the expert counsel of a therapist, relationship coach, or spiritual counselor. Many couples, whether there has been infidelity or not, benefit from both individual therapy and couples counseling.
People often resort to infidelity due to emotional baggage or trauma, and your affair may also be traumatizing or re-traumatizing to your spouse, depending on their childhood and romantic past. A therapist or coach can help you and your partner learn how to communicate, have healthy disagreements, and provide coping skills and tools to cultivate an even healthier, stronger bond than before.
5. Practice Patience:
Rebuilding trust takes time, effort, patience, and gentle persistence. Show compassion and understanding for your spouse’s healing process, remembering that healing is not linear, and along the way, it may feel like there are stalls and setbacks. Patience is key. Give your spouse space when they need it and, when the time is right, a comforting embrace. Throughout the process, what will reassure your spouse the most is your unwavering support, understanding, honesty, reliability, and consistency.
Consistency is vital to rebuilding the trust in your marriage. Be punctual, predictable, reliable, and accountable. That means being good to your word and being where, when, why, and with whom you say you will be. Your actions must align with your intentions and your words. It will take time for you and your spouse to heal fully, but once healed, you can enjoy the partnership you both deserve and desire.
For Better & Worse:
We all make mistakes, and while that doesn’t give us a license to hurt the people we care about most, love means being able to show grace and forgiveness at times. That doesn’t mean your spouse must instantly forgive and forget because, in the end, the journey of healing from an affair is not easy. However, grace and forgiveness can be one of the first steps to the healing journey if both partners are committed to rebuilding their relationship.
The steps outlined in this article provide a roadmap for your efforts, emphasizing the importance of accountability, transparency, communication, support, and patience. But remember, healing is a very personal journey and a gradual process for you, your spouse, and your union. Stay dedicated to your spouse’s healing as well as your own. Provide unwavering support and consistency as you work together to rebuild trust and create a stronger, more resilient partnership. Through sincere efforts and genuine commitment, you can transform the pain of the past into a future filled with love, trust, and mutual understanding.