How to Make Your Relationship Work
Play together., Maintain some individual passions and friends., Find solo joy., Show appreciation and support for your mate., Spice it up in the romance department., Commit at your own pace.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Play together.
Develop mutual interests with your partner to help your relationship grow or stay strong.
It's important to have common interests other than your love for each other.
At first, passion may be enough to keep your love going, but once your relationship matures, it's important to share common interests or activities so that your relationship stays fresh.You should work on sharing hobbies, whether you bake desserts together, go hiking together, or find a good book that you can both read.
Have a couple culture project.
You can decide to watch at least one movie together a week, or have your own mini-book club.
That way, you can motivate yourself to learn new things and keep your conversations interesting. -
Step 2: Maintain some individual passions and friends.
Healthy relationships are secure enough so that each of you can get some space every now and then.
While it’s important to share passions, you should still have something that’s just yours whether it’s a weekly spa visit or a poker night with your friends.
It's just as important to spend the night with your sweetie hanging out with friends as it is to have some alone time regularly.
Balancing time apart with time together promotes interdependence.
Both of you absolutely need it in order to maintain your own interests, as well as to realize how grateful you are when your partner is around., Don’t count on your partner to bring you happiness.
Just as you should make sure to have your own hobbies, you should also be sure that you are happy on your own.
So many people enter relationships hoping that their mates will make them happy.
This is an unrealistic expectation, and only causes the relationship to suffer.
Whatever makes you happy, be sure you are doing that for you and not expecting your partner to bring you happiness.
Set objective goals and take action daily to reach them.
Build a strong support network outside of your relationship.
Do work that adds meaning to your life., Even if you think your love is rock solid, never take your loved one for granted.
No matter how busy your days are, make time away from computers, phones, and televisions to catch up on each other’s days.
Compliment your significant other at least once a day.
For bonus points, find something new to say every time!Don’t come to expect your partner’s good deeds.
Tell your date or partner “thanks” when they show up with flowers.
Showing appreciation reinforces positive behaviors., Be sure to add interest to your love life with exciting dates and love-making.
It’s easy to fall into a rut and think you’re no longer attracted to your partner merely because the two of you never do anything new.
Schedule weekly date nights where you spend time together one-on-one.
These don’t have to be ostentatious—go to a movie, have a candlelight dinner in your home, or feed the ducks at the local pond.Check in with your partner often to make sure they are content in the romance department.
You might start by sharing your own feelings like “Our date last week was really fun! It was nice to be with you in a different way.
What did you think about it?”, The biggest mistake you can make is putting your foot on the gas to catch up with all the speeding cars around you—you just may end up crashing.
Let your relationship develop in its own time without trying to hurry up to some far-off finish line.
Just because your best friend shacked up with her boyfriend of three weeks doesn't mean that you and your beau have to go apartment hunting ASAP.
On the other hand, be wary if your partner delays making a commitment.
It’s important to have a dialogue to ensure both of you have the same goals for the relationship.
Ask, “Could we talk about where we see our relationship going?” to spark a conversation. -
Step 3: Find solo joy.
-
Step 4: Show appreciation and support for your mate.
-
Step 5: Spice it up in the romance department.
-
Step 6: Commit at your own pace.
Detailed Guide
Develop mutual interests with your partner to help your relationship grow or stay strong.
It's important to have common interests other than your love for each other.
At first, passion may be enough to keep your love going, but once your relationship matures, it's important to share common interests or activities so that your relationship stays fresh.You should work on sharing hobbies, whether you bake desserts together, go hiking together, or find a good book that you can both read.
Have a couple culture project.
You can decide to watch at least one movie together a week, or have your own mini-book club.
That way, you can motivate yourself to learn new things and keep your conversations interesting.
Healthy relationships are secure enough so that each of you can get some space every now and then.
While it’s important to share passions, you should still have something that’s just yours whether it’s a weekly spa visit or a poker night with your friends.
It's just as important to spend the night with your sweetie hanging out with friends as it is to have some alone time regularly.
Balancing time apart with time together promotes interdependence.
Both of you absolutely need it in order to maintain your own interests, as well as to realize how grateful you are when your partner is around., Don’t count on your partner to bring you happiness.
Just as you should make sure to have your own hobbies, you should also be sure that you are happy on your own.
So many people enter relationships hoping that their mates will make them happy.
This is an unrealistic expectation, and only causes the relationship to suffer.
Whatever makes you happy, be sure you are doing that for you and not expecting your partner to bring you happiness.
Set objective goals and take action daily to reach them.
Build a strong support network outside of your relationship.
Do work that adds meaning to your life., Even if you think your love is rock solid, never take your loved one for granted.
No matter how busy your days are, make time away from computers, phones, and televisions to catch up on each other’s days.
Compliment your significant other at least once a day.
For bonus points, find something new to say every time!Don’t come to expect your partner’s good deeds.
Tell your date or partner “thanks” when they show up with flowers.
Showing appreciation reinforces positive behaviors., Be sure to add interest to your love life with exciting dates and love-making.
It’s easy to fall into a rut and think you’re no longer attracted to your partner merely because the two of you never do anything new.
Schedule weekly date nights where you spend time together one-on-one.
These don’t have to be ostentatious—go to a movie, have a candlelight dinner in your home, or feed the ducks at the local pond.Check in with your partner often to make sure they are content in the romance department.
You might start by sharing your own feelings like “Our date last week was really fun! It was nice to be with you in a different way.
What did you think about it?”, The biggest mistake you can make is putting your foot on the gas to catch up with all the speeding cars around you—you just may end up crashing.
Let your relationship develop in its own time without trying to hurry up to some far-off finish line.
Just because your best friend shacked up with her boyfriend of three weeks doesn't mean that you and your beau have to go apartment hunting ASAP.
On the other hand, be wary if your partner delays making a commitment.
It’s important to have a dialogue to ensure both of you have the same goals for the relationship.
Ask, “Could we talk about where we see our relationship going?” to spark a conversation.
About the Author
Dorothy Hall
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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