Whether you’ve been married for a long time, dated for a while, or just moved in with your partner, you must look for all the great ways to keep it together.
Maintaining a thriving relationship is difficult, but nobody said it is impossible. It takes the efforts of two dedicated individuals to resolve small and large conflicts daily.
It’s not like in the movies, where the ride is smooth. There are responsibilities, work, kids, neighbours, family, and friends that require each of your attention. And sometimes, your partner’s issues are the least of your worries.
In times like this, you must remember your long-lasting bond and what you must do to avoid eroding it.
Here are ten things that can help your relationship thrive this year.
Visit the place you first met
For the first time, if you’ve never thought of it, plan a tour or trip to the place where you first saw each other, became engaged, or even had a wedding.
This will help keep the young and sweet memories you had during your early stages in the relationship.
Go on a Holiday/Vacation
Of course, there are celebrations to be held throughout the year. It could be birthdays, wedding anniversaries, or just commitment dates.
Make them huge because they represent new beginnings in your love journey and give you new ways of keeping each other happy.
Exchange Chores
Once in a while, maybe during the weekends, try doing each other’s chores in the house. You can cook, clean, or wash the dishes for your wife as she takes care of the garden or tries to fix the tractor.
This is an excellent opportunity to create a two-way understanding of what your partner does and their strengths. You will be able to appreciate what they do to nurture the relationship in good and bad times.
A night at a hotel
We all have stressful lives at home. Changing the environment once in a while is a perfect way to escape the daily noise and pressures, giving you ample time to concentrate on just the two of you.
Spend Time Apart
Ether Perel, MA, LMFT, a therapist and author, states in her book “Mating in Captivity; Unlocking erotic Intelligence” that giving your partner their space is sometimes essential.
“When intimacy collapses into fusion, it is not a lack of closeness but too much closeness that impedes desire. Our need for togetherness exists alongside our need for separateness. Thus, separateness is a precondition for connection: this is the essential paradox of intimacy and sex,” Ether Perel, MA, LMFT writes.
Although it sounds unrealistic, giving your partner space allows them to grow and builds your patience.
Space could mean letting them go out with friends, walk alone in the park, and giving them time to do what they love, like playing football or reading alone.
Be Vulnerable
Sometimes you must drop the tight business mood and let your partner help you take care of your fears.
Sharing your blind spot or weakness with your partner will help you work it out and deepen your intimacy.
It enables you to identify and resolve issues in your relationship in real-time.
Focus on the Positive
No matter the situation you’re currently going through, get to see the positive side, that is, your happy moments, accomplishments, plans, and a lot of other good things you have experienced together as a couple.
After a conflict, find a way to create a positive discussion. That includes avoiding negative or insulting words that might ruin your relationship.
Offer Little Surprise Gestures
Well, everybody loves a gift. And when gifts come from a particular person, they don’t seem that little, even if they’re. It’s about speaking the love language that your partner values.
Gifts can be in the form of things they love or just the gesture they love. For example, if you know your partner values physical touch, you can hug them regularly. And if you are that person who loves seeing him/her around, they will take their time to be with you most of the time.
Head to bed at the same time
Imagine going to sleep, and your partner is still up and about on their laptop, working till 3 AM, or working in bed while the other one watches Netflix in another room?
According to Chris Brantner, a certified sleep science coach, the exact situation of millions of couples currently have marital or relationship issues.
Sleeping at the same time will help you have time for intimate conversations after a long day.
Check out Your Health
Develop a routine to check if either of you has a health issue that needs to be addressed. It’s advisable to be free with your partner, especially on body areas you feel comfortable discussing.
Some people are afraid because they think their partner will judge or embarrass them, but it’s better to take the risk because not stating it might bring out irresolvable issues when it bursts out of the basket.
