Splitsville? Not So Fast...

The financial trauma the nation is experiencing right now doesn't only put a strain on wallets. Many couples are mired in relationship problems they never imagined they'd have to face - and they're having to make decisions they never thought they'd be forced to make. So is that a bad or good thing?

According to recent news reports, here's a little of what's going on in peoples' love lives:

→ The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 37 percent of their members are reporting that they have seen a decrease in divorce cases nationwide.
→ Therapists are reporting an upswing in married couples trying to work out their problems as opposed to resigning themselves to that pricey quick fix - divorce.
→ And when it comes to bouncing bundles of joy, there seems to be a freeze on having babies, a surge in safer birth control methods, and even a downswing in having sex at all (which doesn't exactly help keep the life in a relationship).

While the recession may be causing the stress in relationships that ultimately makes people decide they want to divorce, the financial strain is ironically forcing people to put that decision to divorce on hold.

So then you're left trying to figure out how to "stand" living together for a little longer.

But we propose that economic strain may actually be a blessing in disguise. Is taking the time to work on your relationship such a bad thing? There are alternatives to divorce - like relationship coaching - that can get you and your partner on a healthier path and introduce you to new communication methods, resulting in a renewed love... and a saved relationship.

→ Has your relationship been affected by the economy?