There are times couples will notice themselves asking each other “can our marriage outlive an affair?” And many times the question may seem difficult to answer. There are so many factors that are involved in determining if a relationship can continue when an cheating has caused waves within a relationship. It really depends on the couple and the reasons that caused the cheating. Did the husband go outside the marriage to look for a new sexual partner? Or did the wife start with holding intimate favors because of a sickness or out of spite for her partner. Or maybe the husband started cheating because the wife was weak, in mental anguish and was looking for something that her spouse could not provide her a warm shoulder to cry on.

When it comes down to the ability of a marriage to survive, it does not matter if one of the spouses did have an affair, monetary woos or just plain discontent for each other. Every relationship can be fixed if both partners are willing to work together to rebuild their marriage from the foundation, and up.

Here are a some tips that you can use to help you rebuild your relationship and save your marriage.

• Start talking with your spouse. Take a seat and start a dialog about the cheating. Take turns talking by using any device that keeps time. If it is your turn to lend an ear and listen, do just that. Do not interrupt in on the conversation to correct your partner. Let them vent everything out that they need to.  Then you will get your turn after the time is up. Keep the dialog easy and calm. Do not play the blame game and make your spouse feel any worse than they do now. Manage this time to try to identify why your spouse cheated and how the two of you can make sure that it will stay in the past.

• Forgive your spouse. This is the most difficult part of the process, but it is the most critical thing that you will have to do. How is your relationship going to be able to continue if there is no closure? It is easier to forgive than to forget, and your spouse just wants your forgiveness. Simply acknowledge that you have knowledge why the cheating happened and that you forgive your partner. Your trust will need to be earned back over a period of time.

• Locate the happiness again. Now you and your partner can get creative and have some fun. Drop the kids off at the babysitter’s house and go on dates and start wooing each other all over again. Remember that you are both human beings and we all need some time to reconnect with your spouse. Work together to discover that fire that the two of you once had for each other that led to your marriage.