Life often interferes with relationships. People get busy with work, kids, outside activities, and more. Couples need to celebrate their relationship regularly if they wish to keep it strong. The following six ideas are great ways to strengthen your bond of love.
Give Them a Gift
Surprise your loved one with a gift for no reason. They won’t be expecting it and will treasure it even more. This is a great way to show that you are thinking of them when you are away from each other. For example, go to Adina’s Jewels and pick out a piece that makes you think of the outfit they were wearing the day you met or one that reminds you of their eyes and how they lit up when seeing your new baby for the first time.
Stick a little note in with the gift to explain why you chose it and what it reminded you of. They will treasure this note as much as they do the piece you selected and will share the story with others every time they are asked about the new item. Each time they recount the story, they will have fond memories of the event that led to the purchase and when they received the gift.
Make Time for Each Other
Finding time together as a couple can be challenging. Add in different work schedules, aging parents who need care, or children, and it might seem impossible to carve out an hour or two regularly to focus on each other. Find a way to do so regardless of how hard it seems. This time is needed to recharge the marriage and cement your position as a couple. It’s easy to become lazy after you have been together for a while, but this can spell doom for a relationship.
This doesn’t mean you have to leave the home to spend quality time together. Send the kids to their room and make dinner together. This gives you time to talk and just enjoy spending time on the same activity. Some people choose to get up early and work out together, while others make time for a walk after dinner while the kids clean the kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are together and interacting with each other. That’s what is important.
Show Gratitude
Thank your partner for going to work every day to support the family or for staying home to raise the kids. When someone cooks dinner for the family, other members should say thank you, and the same holds when one spouse stops on the way home to pick up medicine for a sick kid. If you would say thank you to a friend for doing something, make sure you do the same for your partner. They deserve gratitude as much as anyone outside the family.
Brag about your spouse on social media and be sure to tell your friends how great they are when everyone gets together. People often complain about their spouses, never stopping to care that what they say may get back to the spouse. By heaping praise on them, you give them a boost of confidence and will find your relationship improves. They feel appreciated, and it shows in how they interact with you.
Listen
Engage in active listening. When your partner starts talking, stop what you are doing and focus completely on what they are saying. Don’t try to formulate a response to their words. Simply take in what they are telling you. If you struggle to do this, pay attention to what they are saying and repeat it back to them. This doesn’t need to be word for word, but by paraphrasing what they said, you can ensure you are hearing them correctly.
This technique is often used when a person is working with young children. Adults may be hesitant to use it for a variety of reasons, including one where they worry that their spouse may take it as a sign of being mocked. Explain that you want to ensure you are understanding them, and this allows you to clear up any confusion. Once they understand you are trying to listen to and understand them, they won’t get upset.
Write Love Notes
Leave a love note for your partner to find. This may be on the mirror when they get up to shower in the morning or a piece of paper slipped in their jacket pocket as they head out the door. Parents often write notes to their children and place them in their lunch boxes before they go to school. Do the same with your spouse. They will appreciate these notes as much as the kids do and treasure them.
Try to change the notes or where they are placed for an element of surprise. Once the notes become a routine, the person receiving them will enjoy trying to find the note of the day and where it was hidden. This is a great way to add fun to a relationship even when you have been together for years.
Find a Hobby
Try new things to see if you can find a hobby you both love and want to take part in regularly. Once you do so, make sure to schedule time for this activity as often as possible. You will get quality time together, and you may make new friends with similar interests. However, don’t let these friendships interfere with your relationship.
Plan times when you and your spouse engage in this activity as a couple and other times where you get together with your new friends and all take part. This helps to ensure the relationship doesn’t get pushed aside for new friendships. The goal is to spend quality time with your partner, and having other people around every time you take part in this activity defeats that purpose.
Make your relationship a priority at all times. Couples that do so find they withstand hard times easily and sail through the good times effortlessly. You must put effort into a relationship to make it last. Try one or more of the methods mentioned above today and see how easy it is to strengthen your bond and bring the two of you closer together.
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