Creating a lasting and loving relationship clearly isn’t easy. Most people enter into a committed partnership and end up married to each other with full expectations of sharing a life together, but in reality that’s not always the case. Half of most marriages are predicted to end in a divorce. Since reaching a staggering 50%, the divorce rate in Australia has been steadily declining since the ’70s. Experts say that this is because people are marrying later, and spending more time and energy nurturing their relationships.
It takes more than love in a relationship to work
Although love is a great foundation of a happy and romantic relationship, love is just never enough. In order to have a healthy relationship, both individuals would have to put in to make it work. There are many ways to have a fruitful and happy relationship, but I believe there are some simple things that can contribute greatly to a successful relationship. Below you will find 7 ways to manage your relationship to keep it flourishing:
1. Say “I love you’
This seems like such a simple thing to do, but in a long-term relationship, the day-to-day can take over the simple bits of romance. Telling your partner that you love them and taking moments out of your day to tell your partner they mean the world to you can help them feel cared for and loved.
2. Learn yours and your partner’s love language
Knowing the way your partner likes to give and receive affection can go a long way towards a successful relationship. If one partner is feeling unappreciated or a relationship is not is the best place, it will always be helpful to understand each other better. Learning more about how your partner sees love will allow you to better meet their needs, and knowing your love language will give you a better understanding of yourself, and allow you to better communicate your own wants and needs to your partner.
3. Don’t keep secrets and communicate
Obviously don’t keep major secrets, that’s a no-brainer. But keeping things about yourself a secret is also a huge mistake. Share your likes and your dislikes, your dreams, and your fears. Make sure to share whatever is important to you with your partner. If you share more with them than they do with you, and listen when they do the same, you will get to know each other on a very deep level.
4. Go to couples counselling
People say that if your relationship is bad, it’s already too late for couples counselling. While we obviously don’t agree entirely with that, there is a lot of truth to the idea that counselling is for people in all stages of a committed relationship. Counselling is as valuable when things are good as it is when things are bad. There are many signs where you may need couples therapy to strengthen any kind of relationship. If you would like a relationship that is better and more fulfilling, and you would like to communicate more effectively with your partner, consider going to couples therapy.
5. Make time apart a priority
As much as we should all endeavour to know and to love our partners as well as possible, it is possible and in fact necessary to nurture ourselves and our time as individuals. If you have hobbies and interests apart from your partner, which most people do, make them a regular part of your life and cherish them. No one benefits when couples become so entangled in one another that they lose their sense of themselves as individuals.
6. Strive for an equal partnership
There are many areas of life in which this is deeply applicable. If you know your partner does a bigger share of the housework despite working the same hours, make sure that work is divided equally. People who do more equal shares of domestic labour like housework, cooking meals, or childcare with their partners are more likely to remain together. Similarly, one person’s opinions and points of view should never vastly outweigh the others. Inequality in a relationship is a breeding ground for resentment in any relationship.
7. Get creative about spending time together
The through line here is to pay attention and put effort into your relationship, and one of the most fun ways you can show your partner you are thinking of them is to plan fun activities. Maybe it’s a once-a-month date-night where you take turns coming up with fun and surprising ideas for spending time together. Maybe it’s surprising them with their favourite meal and eating together without the TV or any distractions. It can be harder for some with the commitments of life, but I believe this is all the more reason to specifically plan time together where you can release the stress of your day-to-day lives, and just look forward to hanging out with the person you love most.
An Overview
A strong and successful relationship doesn’t just happen. This emerges when you and your significant other half invest in the relationship and provide structural support for each other. Engaging in the above tips will begin to see your relationship strengthen right away. After all, a fulfilling and healthy relationship is an important part of living a happy life.
To find out more about strengthening and managing your relationship please get in touch or call on 0417 169 653 to arrange an appointment.
