Do you want a happier relationship? Well, if so you should follow the tips below – they’ll make you happier and more content with your spouse or significant other.
1. Maintain Your Independence
When couples were asked which factors were the most important in their marriage, maintaining a sense of independence came in at the top of the list. When entering into a relationship, it is extremely important for both partners to keep doing the activities that they enjoy. Couples shouldn’t spend all of their time with one another. Instead, each partner should continue doing their favorite hobbies and enjoying activities on their own. As strange as it may sound, spending time apart can actually make your relationship stronger. Remember – your partner fell in love with you because of who you were when you met. To keep your relationship strong, you need to maintain that sense of self.
If you and your partner give up your hobbies and spend all of your time with each other, it can weaken your relationship by making you less interesting to one another. Maintaining a sense of independence, on the other hand, can give you and your partner both a stronger sense of who you really are, which can lead to a healthier, happier relationship.
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2. Learn To Really Listen
Listening to one another is one area where many couples fall short. Oftentimes, all that someone needs to be happy is for their partner to really hear them. They don’t need someone to come in and fix all of their problems for them. Instead, they just want to be able to talk to someone and know that they are really being heard.
Active listening requires you to get involved in the process as well. When your partner is speaking to you, really listen to what she is saying. Make eye contact during the conversation, paraphrasing key points and providing reassurance as necessary. Learning how to listen to your partner will make your marriage much stronger, healthier, and happier.
3. Understand That You Won’t Agree On Everything
Disagreements are normal in a relationship according to Clarity Chi who provide couples counseling in Chicago. Even extremely happy couples don’t always agree on everything. In fact, many couples have widely different beliefs and opinions about significant issues. The key to dealing with these disagreements is to simply accept them. You probably are never going to change your partner’s mind, just like they most likely will never change yours. Instead of harassing one another or belittling the other person’s viewpoint, try to accept that you see things differently. Eventually, you may even be able to reach a point where you can joke about your disagreements.
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4. Identify How Your Partner Communicates Feelings Of Love
In the field of psychology, experts have discovered that individuals communicate their feelings of love in different ways. By getting to know how your partner prefers to express love, you can communicate with them more effectively in a way that they will understand.
Pay attention to little things that your partner does to express their love. Perhaps they go out of their way to help you take care of your car or to give you a break by taking on one of your chores. Maybe they always buy your favorite soap or do your laundry without complaining. Even though these may not seem like acts of love, they are. Of course, you should pay attention to more obvious clues, as well. Some people leave love letters, buy flowers, or opt for other traditional ways of expressing love. By identifying how your partner prefers to communicate their feelings, you can respond in kind by performing similar acts for them.
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5. Accept Your Partner For Who They Are
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to change your partner. Constantly nagging at someone to get them to change often backfires, creating tension in the relationship. Think back to when you got married. At that point, you probably already had a pretty good idea of who your partner really was and you accepted them, flaws and all.
Trying to change someone is almost always a futile effort. The more you nag or pester someone, the less likely they are to change. Try shifting your perspective by focusing on the things you like about your partner rather than on any traits or habits that they have that you see as flaws.
6. Acknowledge Your Role In Any Problems
One of the best ways to maintain a strong marriage is by being willing to acknowledge the role that you play in any problems that occur. For instance, if you and your partner get into a major argument, don’t spend all of your time blaming them. Instead, take a look at your actions to determine what role you played in the argument. Being willing to take responsibility for things that you did wrong without constantly blaming everything on your spouse is an essential part of maintaining a healthy relationship.
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7. Spend Time Appreciating Each Other
When you spend a lot of time with someone, it is only natural to become complacent. Because you have been together so long, it may feel like you will always be together. Remember, however, that relationships require continual work. Make sure to spend time appreciating and loving each other to keep your relationship strong.
8. Don’t Give Up On Dating
Just because you are married to someone doesn’t mean that you should stop dating them. Plan a regular date night where you and your spouse can spend time alone. On date night, choose activities that you both enjoy. Going on dates gives you a chance to reconnect with one another so that you can maintain a strong and healthy relationship. To get the most out of date night, disconnect from technology by turning off your phone. You don’t have to do anything elaborate. Getting together for movie night in your living room is a great option. Alternatively, you can go out to dinner, head to the movie theater, go for a hike, or try something new together.
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9. Don’t Forget About Romance
When couples are together for a long time, romance tends to fall to the wayside. One way to maintain the spark in your relationship is by keeping the romance alive. Send flowers out of the blue. Tuck a romantic note into your partner’s jacket pocket. Spend some time brainstorming other ways that you can surprise your partner with unexpected romantic gestures.
10. Don’t allow intimacy to fall to the wayside.
Married life shouldn’t mean the end of intimacy. Instead, you and your partner should spend a lot of time being intimate with one another, even if you aren’t really feeling amorous. Talk to each other about what you like and don’t like and be willing to experiment with new things to keep your love life fresh and fun.
