Relationships take work and effort, but they can be completely worth it if you’ve found the right person.
Whilst romantic movies have set us up for plenty of disappointment, no there will be no magic carpet ride through the desert, there’s no reason why you can’t have a healthy, strong relationship that makes you bubble with pride and get all gooey-eyed and mushy when your partner is around.
Here we’ve run through seven things we’ve learned to help make your relationship stronger.
Table of Contents
Don’t cloud your judgement of them
It can be easy to idealise your partner and relationship, but if you manage to cloud your judgement of them, you won't really be falling for them just the idea of them. Don't get caught up in the idea of a relationship, instead make sure you take the time to get to know them, what they believe in and their values too.
Spend quality time together in your relationship, avoiding the TV
Prioritise quality time together
It can be easy to just live your life with your partner, doing general things like going to work, eating together at night, getting the chores done. But it's important that you prioritise quality time with each other.
In the UK, a typical childless couple only spends an average of two and a half hours a day with their partner and of that, nearly an hour is spent watching the TV. If that sounds familiar it’s time to make a change. Take time out and spend it together, try and avoid watching TV and having phones present, instead, come up with some fun date ideas – think back to what you first did when you started dating or just go for a long walk and enjoy the weather and each other’s company.
Take some time apart
Of course, it's vital that you spend time together, but it's just as important that you can spend time apart too. You don't want to be joined at the hip of your partner and you should be able to do your own things without feeling guilty or sad about it. It's vital for your relationship to survive that you can remain independent.
When you spend too much time with your partner you can create an unhealthy co-dependent relationship.
Show appreciation, even for the small expected things
Being grateful and thankful for the smallest things in your relationship will ensure it lasts the distance. It's nice to know that you're appreciated by your other half, and when you're both willing to put in the effort and make the other person that little bit happier there's no doubt you'll have a healthy and strong relationship.
A small thank you can go a long way
Pick and choose your battles
It's likely that you're going to have arguements in your relationship, but it's important that you focus on the things that really matter rather than trivial things that will be forgotten by next week. Pick and choose your battle is important because if you focus too much on the small and petty things, you'll find yourself arguing regularly and your relationship will feel harder work than it needs to be.
It might take some tongue-biting, but it’s definitely worth it over a screaming match that you’ll both regret afterwards.
Don't arguing take over the relationship
Don’t expect things
If you don't have any expectations of what you want from your partner you won't feel let down when they don't give it to you. If you expect to be loved in a certain way, then you're putting pressure on the relationship that needn't be there.
Sex
As you can imagine sex is vital for a healthy relationship and if you want a strong relationship you're going to need to do it regularly. If your sexual desire wanes it's likely that you'll feel less and less enthused to have sex, which can have a detrimental effect on your connection with your partner. It's important to put effort into your sex life, keep things interesting and the more you do it, the more you'll want it too.
Do you have any other tips to share for a healthy, strong relationship?