Counselling service says problems soar during the main summer season
Holidays are a prime time for marriage break-ups, according to the counselling agency Relate. According to a report in today’s Daily Mail, the marriage guidance service sees 20 per cent more couples during the holiday season than at any other time of the year; the organisation expects to have seen 4,500 more couples than normal over the summer months of 2003.
The report states that complaints range from “We’ve realised that we are not in love” to “We don’t have sex any more”. A councillor for Relate told the newspaper that many people expect holidays to “ignite” their love, but instead they have the habit of exposing relationship problems.
She added: “It seems that when couples are busy it is really easy to put problems on the back burner because they are caught up in the routine of everyday living. But when they are on holiday, any problems come under the spotlight and they suddenly realise they are not as close as they thought they were.”
Relate has issued a list of “dos and don’ts” for holidays, including the following: 1. Leave mobile phones and laptops at home; if not, make sure they are turned off at “times of intended romance”; 2. Make your travel plans as easy and simple as possible; 3. Share chores such as cooking; 4. Do not pack too much as heavy cases can cause extra stress.
