Relationships can feel stale at times. It is easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget to take time to slow down and enjoy one another. While it can be a challenge to maintain happiness in a relationship, we can help ourselves improve.
Things to Try:
Give each other compliments: Researchers found that the couples who were in happy relationships had a 5:1 ratio of good exchanges to bad. People who divorced had 0.8 happy encounters for every one negative interaction. No matter what your love language is, all people benefit from kind words. Take some time to tell your partner how much you appreciate them.
Work on improving communication: It is easy to misinterpret what another person is saying or take their words out of context. Feeling unheard or misunderstood in a relationship can cause sadness. Set aside time to listen to one another and sort through issues as they arise. If you have trouble communicating, there are professionals who can help
Practice self-love: You may think the other person is the problem but in reality, every person is in control of their own happiness. Once you fully love yourself and learn to set boundaries, it will be easier to love others.
Allow for realistic expectations: Expectations can be too high. This results in discouragement when someone is not able to live up to them. Start by asking yourself what is realistic for you, and for the relationship. Then discuss and negotiate.
Stand with your partner: Support each other. What are your mutual goals and dreams? Share your dreams and encourage each other as you work towards them.
Touch more often: Research shows humans feel comforted by touch. Hug, hold hands, rub each other’s backs and be intimate more often. Words are not the only way to express support & love to your partner.
Limit complaining: No one likes to hear another person nag. Try to frame what could be a complaint into a conversation. Use “I statements” instead of “you statements.” Can you tolerate what is bothering you? Is there something you can do to improve the situation? Asking yourself these questions before reacting will make your interactions more positive.
Do not forget to have fun: What do you enjoy doing together? Schedule time to do these things. Just like it is important to rest and relax on a personal level, it is equally important to do so as a couple. Have one on one time as well as spend time with family and friends …together.
In most cases, the more time you invest in working on your relationship the happier you will feel. If you are looking for more ideas on building your relationship, check out our blog.