The first year of marriage is the hardest, right?

When couples go from dating to living together, they’re suddenly faced with “having to” make it work. Time apart is no longer built into your weekly routine, you don’t go home to cool off after an argument, and you see and speak to each other every day. There are many more opportunities to see your partner in their best (and worst) moments. This allows you to grow to the next level of friendship, emotional intimacy, and physical intimacy.

Instead, you may feel disconnection. You may panic about things that feel harder now than they did before - communication, conflict resolution, and getting along. You may wonder if you made the right decision moving in together or getting married. You may take the perspective that your partner must have changed, they’re getting “too comfortable,” or this is why people refer to marriage as the “ball and chain.”

Or you can get a better understanding of why things feel different (this is totally normal) and what you can do to set yourselves up for many years of a fulfilling, loving, and connected marriage.

In this week’s episode, we’re speaking with Kayla Levin, Newlywed Coach, about the struggles she sees newly married couples face time and time again, the biological process of infatuation and how we can conceptualize long-term love, and specific strategies for enhancing your marriage at any stage.

Kayla Levin, CPLC, is a Certified Life Coach and Newlywed Coach. She is the host of the popular podcast, First Year Married, and lives with her husband and four children in Israel. You can find Kayla at firstyearmarried.com, over on Instagram @firstyearmarried, or on Facebook at Kayla Levin Marriage Coach. Kayla is offering listeners of the podcast 10% off her 6-part newlywed course with the code SIMPLY. You can check out the course here: First Year Married - The Self-Guided Course