If You Want To Stay Together Forever, Turn These 6 Sweet Gestures Into Habits
Show appreciation for your partner. Don’t wait until the holidays to thank them for how much they do for you. Show gratitude every single day. Let them know how much you appreciate them taking out the trash and walking the dog and listening to your rants about your favorite reality shows. Make sure they know how much you value their presence in your life. It doesn’t matter if you think they already know this because you’ve said it a hundred times before. Say it again. It never hurts to be repetitive with your affection.
Volunteer to help out when they’re struggling. Relationships aren’t fifty-fifty straight down the middle all the time. There are moments when your partner will be swamped with work and struggling to get through their day while your day is pretty light. During those moments, lend them a hand. Help them out a bit, even if they insist that they’re fine. Give them a break because you know they’d do the same for you.
Vocalize your feelings for them. Make sure you say those three little words every single day. And vocalize your bad feelings too. This doesn’t mean to say nasty things without a filter. It means express your concerns when you’re unhappy with the relationship. Make sure that they know how you feel so your pain doesn’t snowball until you’re unable to look at them anymore. Be transparent about your wants and expectations so that you’re on the same page and don’t end up having a huge misunderstanding ruin the relationship down the line.
Spend time focusing on them (and forgetting about the rest of the world). Make sure you still go on dates, even after you’re married and living together. Don’t forget to set aside some time to hang out, just the two of you, with your phones set to silent. You should be enjoying their company and really listening when they talk. Don’t make them wonder whether you’ve grown tired of them. Make it clear you care what they have to say and are paying close attention. Quality time together doesn’t count if you’re far away emotionally. Really stay present and be there with your partner.
Give each other space to breathe. Spending too much time apart can be dangerous, but so can spending too much time together. You need to give each other the chance to miss each other, even if that means spending a few hours with your friends while they’re with their friends. Or engaging in a new hobby while they’re focusing on their hobby. It’s great if your friend groups and passions overlap, but you don’t have to do every single thing as a team. You’re still individuals, no matter how much you love being side-by-side.
Every few weeks, embark on new adventures together. You don’t have to do anything too far outside of your comfort zones, but make sure you eat at new restaurants and visit new date spots. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you’ve been with your partner for a while but a change of scenery could give you some excitement. Even though it’s great to have your place, try something new every once in a while so you don’t end up bored.