Love—something we all need, especially now. We all need to feel connected, appreciated, and loved but especially by our partners. Every romantic relationship goes through the roller coaster of ups and downs and most of all they take a lot of work, commitment, and adaptability to grow and change with your partner. Whether your relationship is just starting out in the “feel good” butterfly stage or you’ve been together for 20 years, there are always steps you can take to improve or create a healthy relationship. No matter how many relationships or experiences you’ve had in the past there’s always room for improvement, we’ve gathered some basic tips to help you take your first steps in the right direction.
Communication
Every couple will have disagreements and arguments. How you and your partner communicate is crucial; it’s true what they say “communication is the key”. This will set the tone for the entire relationship. Both parties need to feel safe and comfortable about expressing their needs, issues, goals, and desires. Having safety is critical to a healthy relationship and especially through conflict resolution. Both parties need to feel safe about expressing things without feeling vengeances.
Physical Touch
Let’s talk about touch; touch is a crucial part to being human. The science behind it is simple: affection boosts the level of oxytocin. Oxytocin increases our desire to bond. Holding hands, hugging, kissing, and cuddling are all forms of affection that helps boost relationships. Again, communication is a key factor, but this is not limited to verbal. Regardless of your career, children, or any other thing that life throws at you, making regular time for affection is one of the most critical ways anyone can maintain a healthy relationship.
Compromise
Life is crazy, life can be unfair and the only consistent thing in life is the inconsistency & change. You never know what the universe is going to throw at you. A healthy relationship’s foundation is built on compromise. It takes work to make sure that there is a balance. Sometimes one partner may be really struggling. This may make it extremely challenging to relate to each other. You might have different ideas of coping, but people cope with stress differently, and you both just have to be ready to give a little extra here and there.
Therapy
Relationships can be the hardest thing in life and take lots of work, some days will be harder than other days but relationships are also one of the most beautiful experiences. If you and your partner are struggling or feel you might need some extra help improving your relationship, reach out together. Bringing a therapist into your relationship can be a good thing and there’s an unfortunate stigma in our society following therapy. Sometimes problems in a relationship or life events can seem too difficult or overwhelming for you to handle on your own. Couples therapy could be a positive solution that you’ve all been looking for.