Relationships are complex and they travel with you on your crazy life journey, whether you want them to or not. Things in one area of your life spill over into the next and pretty soon it’s a gumbo pot of feelings and emotions all swirled together. Take some time to give your relationship with your significant other the attention it needs by examining a few of these areas to make your bond stronger and able to withstand any storm.
Being Able to Argue
There is nothing wrong with arguing, in fact, a lack of disagreement or heated emotion is a sign of a surface relationship void of connection. When you are in a healthy relationship, you share all the pieces of yourself, even the ones not many people get to see, and these include our true feelings and emotions. It’s okay to argue, it’s just how you do it that matters. Name calling and low blows are not going to get you anywhere. Being able to have a disagreement, say what you need to say, and then come to an agreement to move forward is your best tactic. If you always move towards resolution, you can never go wrong. Understand and allow it to happen but commit to a solution so it doesn’t keep happening over and over again.
Communication
One of the hardest elements of relationships is communication. If you are able to convey your feelings, try to do so before anything gets out of hand or misconstrued. Most communication failures come from unrealistic expectation and lack of sharing. Being honest, even if it’s uncomfortable or takes some effort, will build your communication bridge stronger than ever. It’s okay to be uncomfortable, it’s not to hold those thoughts and feelings inside – because they will come out eventually, and probably not in a healthy way. Try to stay ahead of the storm by communicating beforehand.
Relationships Require Work
While good healthy relationships work on autopilot, it’s still important to give your relationship attention and focus, especially when life gets crazy. Plan date nights or time for the two of you alone. When kids and family get in the mix, it pulls focus from the core relationship and if you are aware of it, it can be easily cared for as well as all the other amazing aspects that make your relationship unique. Plan on checking in with your partner and making a commitment to work on your relationship, even when things get messy.
Separate, but Together
Do you both have hobbies and interests that are separate from each other? It’s important in relationships to have your own thing, something that you get to enjoy alone or with a group of outside friends. Giving yourself space to explore other hobbies and interests will strengthen your relationship because you get to experience other things in this world, and then bring them back to share (or not). It makes you appreciate the world you’ve made with your partner, but also having an outside outlet for curiosity and growth you can experience independently.
Relationships take work, there’s no doubt about that, and investigating some of these areas will help you keep yours on course and ready for anything.
