Real help for a marriage that is struggling

Practical, judgement-free advice for the hardest season of a relationship — whether you are both trying, or it feels like you are the only one who still is.

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Start here if things feel serious →

If it feels like it’s ending

When the word divorce has come up, or you’re afraid it’s coming, start with these.

Is my marriage over? How to tell a hard season from the end, with a 12-question self-check.

Is My Marriage Over?

How to tell the difference between a hard season and the end

Signs of a failing marriage, sorted into strain, pattern, and serious, with what to do about each.

Signs of a Failing Marriage

Which Ones Are Serious, and What to Do About Each

How to save your marriage: six moves in order, including what to do if you're the only one trying.

How to Save Your Marriage

Six Moves, in Order (Even If You’re the Only One Trying)

How to stop a divorce when your husband wants out and you don't: what to say first.

How to Stop a Divorce

When He Wants Out and You Don’t

How to fix a broken marriage: different first steps after a betrayal or a long cold war.

How to Fix a Broken Marriage

After a Betrayal or a Long Cold War

If you feel like strangers

For the marriage that has gone quiet: you still love him, but you live like roommates.

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How to Reconnect With Your Husband When You Feel Like Strangers

The 14-Day Reconnect Plan: a free two-week plan for wives, one ten-minute action a day with the exact words to say.

The 14-Day Reconnect Plan (free)

One ten-minute action a day, with the exact words to say

How to heal a relationship after a fight: what to do in the first 48 hours, in order, with the words to say.

How to Heal a Relationship After a Fight

The First 48 Hours, in Order (and What to Say)

Not happy in your marriage? Which kind of unhappy it is, and what to do first.

What to Do When You’re Not Happy in Your Marriage

Before You Decide Anything

For the hard seasons of being a wife

When you’re tired, resentful, or not sure you like who you’ve become in this marriage.

How to Be a Better Wife

How to Be a Better Wife

Without Turning Yourself Inside Out

Hate your husband after kids? What the resentment is made of, and what to do first.

How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids

What the Resentment Is Made Of, and What to Do First

Not sure where to start? Free: The 14-Day Reconnect Plan. One ten-minute action a day, with the exact words to say. Every day is something you can start on your own.

About Conquering Marriage

I’m Claire Hartwell, and I write Conquering Marriage for wives in a hard season — whether you both still want this, or it feels like you’re the only one trying. Every article draws on current relationship research, names its sources, and puts crisis resources first wherever safety might be in question. It isn’t therapy, and it never pretends to be.

More about Claire and how these articles are written →