If you have been experiencing a lackluster marriage for a while or you and your spouse are heading into trouble, there are ways to save a marriage that might work for you. Whether you have been fighting verbally or experiencing the silent treatment with lines of communication closed, there is still hope.

Each friend, therapist or confidante will have different ideas on ways to save a marriage. Regardless of what those ideas are, there are several significant fundamentals that are universal and should be a part of any solution you may try.

First of all, it does not matter if you have 1,000 ways to save a marriage. Each one of those potential solutions is going to take time. In this instance, patience is definitely a virtue. You don't want to rush such an important part of your life. You and your spouse must put forth the effort to mend those marital fences. Both spouses must commit to the different ways to save a marriage if success is to be achieved. If you are both not on board, any plans you want to try will not work.

The three basic fundamentals mentioned above, you will find, apply to any of the ways to save a marriage that you decide to follow. It's a struggle, but things can and will get better with time and effort. And if you work on the five ways to save a marriage listed below, you will have a good chance of stronger, more in-depth relationship than you have right now.

1. Both of you involve yourself in the simple exercise of writing a list. This list is what you perceive as the primary problems that are affecting your marriage right now. Once both of you have your list written, sit down together and talk about each one. This assignment just might help you narrow down the primary cause of marital dissention.

2. Having fun together is one of the ways to save a marriage. Yes, it is tough given that you are going through some problems. However, try and find something humorous to share with one another every day.

3. Back to the list taking; create several long and short term goals as other ways to save a marriage. If you both have a common goal you are shooting for, you are essentially forming a team to accomplish that task. Team building is a good thing!

4. Plan outings and spend time doing fun things that you used to do together. Taking a stroll down memory lane just might help rekindle those old feelings and it counts as ways to save a marriage.

5. Get out of your ruts. You can try something new together whether it is a new restaurant, indulge in dance lessons or take up a new hobby together. These new experiences will spawn conversation and of course, that leads to communication, one of the most important ways to save a marriage.

Only if you hit roadblocks with the other spouse should you consider a marriage therapist or other type of counseling as one of the ways to save a marriage. Sometimes, it is a simple matter of trying to put yourself in your spouse's place to understand their point of view. Finally, practice listening; really hearing what your partner is saying and many times, not saying. Remember, ways to save a marriage are many; it is up to you to try several approaches and stick with one that works.