Q: I am a working women married for the past 6 years. I live in a joint family. My mother-in-law is quite dominating by nature. She creates problems for me in all aspects of my life. She talks diplomatically and behind my back. The worse part is my husband loves her a lot. Initially he used to take her side, but over the years the situation improved and he has started understanding (as to who is the source of the problem). He supports me now-a-days most of the time. But despite all this, I feel there is a strong lack of understanding in our relationship. I feel this way because I am blamed for all the petty things. My mom in law paints a very bad picture when it comes to things like money, cooking, my height, utensils, my behaviour, the way I manage the house, cleanliness, etc. With all this happening, I am expected to show respect and love to my in-laws, due to the pressure from husband. My house doesn't seem welcoming. I feel stressed most of the time at work as well as at home. Because of this, I have become defensive in nature. I perpetually worry thinking that a new problem is about to start. This is affecting my health. I have become quite negative. I also get occasional chest pains. My husband is not agreeing to stay apart from in-laws. I am stuck. I don't want to divorce him. Please help.

A:Unfortunately, divorce is not the end all or be all of all solutions. The solution lies in persistence with the right karma, because attitudes don't change in a day. The solution lies in understanding your husband and having a good relationship with him, and also working on the relationship with your mother-in law. Spend time in relationship building, it would help you in the long run.