There is no easy solution to how to cope with a cheating spouse. Infidelity is one of the most difficulty realities that one faces in a relationship. While the situation calls for calm, introspection and maturity, it is very hard to have those when one is heartbroken, cheated upon and emotionally shaken. It will take a considerable period of time for anyone to get over infidelity and it is quite likely that some people would not get over it at all.
Here’s how you should approach coping with a cheating spouse.
Don’t jump to conclusions, don’t make hasty decisions and certainly don’t become overly aggressive at the very onset. You need to realize that the more aggressive you are or the hastier you are at tackling the situation, the worse it would get. It would become more daunting for both of you. It is necessary that you take one step at a time, one day at a time.
First, you should try to take care of yourself. Don’t bother about your spouse and don’t get engrossed with the thoughts and images of your partner cheating on you. Instead, eat healthy and do things that you like, cry and laugh whenever they happen naturally, don’t close yourself and don’t shut out the entire world. Have loved ones and friends around you. Focus on things that interest you or make you happy.
Once you have taken care of yourself, approach your spouse and talk about it. The confrontation should neither be aggressive nor be reconciliatory. It should be pragmatic. Just discuss the realities of infidelity. Let your spouse explain their stand or what they feel. If they feel remorseful or truly guilty, then coping with the situation would become easier. If you find your spouse to be relatively less unnerved or not truly remorseful, then coping would be more difficult.
You have to identify the areas in your marriage that have been mishandled or unheeded. There are certainly problems in your relationship and those need to be addressed. You don’t need to address them if you are thinking of ending your marriage but don’t take the drastic step without assessing the entire situation.
You may be prompted to cope with a cheating spouse for the sake of your children or because you are dependent on your partner in certain ways. Those reasons are valid but they cannot always salvage a marriage. Seek therapy and consult people you trust before you decide to take a step.