How to Keep Your Relationship Healthy and Happy
When you are with the same person for a long time, it becomes somewhat natural to start taking your relationship for granted. It is easy to start prioritizing everything else in front of your relationship because you feel like your relationship will always be there. Couples often start to think that their relationship is built on a solid foundation, when the reality is that one of you may not be as happy as the other might think. We all want to have healthy, happy relationships, but that can only happen when you take the time to nurture it and make sure that the love and connection continues to grow. Even the most beautiful garden will start to sprout weeds if left unattended.
It isn’t always just the passage of time that can threaten to make a relationship feel stale. Work commitments can drive a wedge into the amount of quality time that you get to spend with your partner, and while having children is a goal for many couples, the arrival of a little one can also lead to the relationship suffering a little. The reality is that when your attention is pulled towards work or family endeavors, it is also pulled away from your partner, and can have a devastatingly negative effect.
One of the most effective ways to ensure that your relationship stays strong is to ensure that the lines of communication always stay open. Try to make time to talk to your partner and ask about their day. This is something that you can do when the kids are down for the night, as you can be pretty certain that there will be no interruptions. You should be able to listen fully and offer support, which is tough to do when little ones are running around demanding your attention. It is sometimes hard to even complete a full thought when your little ones are running around. I once heard the advice “never stop dating”. This means to always put attention into your relationship and courting each other. When you prioritize your relationship, often times your kids benefit, your work benefits and you benefit.
If you have children at home, you cannot allow them to become your entire world, as this can lead to feelings of jealousy from your partner and isn’t the healthiest situation for your kids either. Most people like to assume that they are mature enough to handle the sight of their partner constantly interacting with the kids, but for many, it becomes a little tougher once that actually goes into practice and they are feeling neglected. It’s tough not to feel as though you are being ignored or put into the position of second best, and that is why you need to make sure that you have time away from the kids where you can reconnect and do things as a couple. Make date night a regular part of your routine and plan these nights out in advance if need be.
As strange as it may sound, your relationship can also benefit from having some time apart. You should be able to hang out with friends or do something on your own, and you should give your partner the exact same type of freedom. While it’s great to spend time together, it’s not necessarily totally healthy to cut off all ties with your friends. Get out, have some fun, and then finish off the night by sharing your experiences with your partner. These are all simple little things that you can do to maintain a healthy, happy relationship.
If you feel like you are struggling with creating a balance for your family, go see a therapist for a couple of sessions to get ideas on how to balance your specific situation.