21 Ways To Keep Your Relationship Strong, Healthy, & Happy

If you’re feeling disconnected from your partner, there are several simple but effective ways to reignite the passion and romantic love you once felt for each other. “For example, if your love language is quality time, discuss what that means for your partner specifically,” Tyra Berger, MSMFT, LCPC, a licensed clinical professional counselor, tells Bustle. Continuously making an effort also means you get to create the type of relationship you want, Jeni Woodfin, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist, tells Bustle.

You will inevitably share personal information as you become closer to others. But how you do this can have a big influence on how, and how quickly, this bond gets created. In other words, if the shared opinion is strong, a positive one will have the same effect to make your relationships stronger. Finn Robinson has spent the past few decades travelling the globe and honing his skills in bodywork, holistic health, and environmental stewardship.

“Physical closeness expresses that we’re there for our partner; that they can trust us and have our support,” says Dr. Gabb. Playfulness in a relationship provides an opportunity for fun and frivolity, a moment of sensual intimacy, and a space in which to hold at bay “the blues”. Does someone you know have a special occasion coming up? Choose your gift wisely, because this is another hidden opportunity to form a deeper connection with them. These are all great activities to bond with friends, but also great ways to get closer to someone you barely know.

For many people, sharing emotions can be challenging. Many of us were not raised in homes where there was healthy identification, expression and management of emotions so this may be a foreign (or even uncomfortable) process. It may take time but learning to recognize and share emotions is an important skill. You can start by tuning into yourself and giving a name to a feeling. What do you need to feel better about the situation? Then you can share your feelings/needs with your partner using the Gentle Start Up.

• No matter how much you miss them, don’t forget about other important areas of your life.
• Doing this everyday will keep those bonding hormones flowing.
• Read on to see what behaviors can serve as relationship red flags, as well as what practices you can do to help improve your relationship.
• It’s also for maintenance, growth, and deepening your understanding of each other.

April Eldemire, LMFT, is a psychotherapist who specializes in marriage and couples issues, new-parenthood transitions and blended family dynamics. Sometimes couples drift apart not because of conflict, but because they’ve stopped checking in with each other about the bigger picture. Therapy gives you a chance to realign your values, goals, and dreams as a couple. Couples therapy helps you navigate those transitions together. Instead of turning away from each other when things get hard, you’ll learn how to turn toward one another.

For example, “pick up your clothes,” “lend me $100,” “don’t shout at me.” John Gottman observes, “five positive interactions for every negative” is essential for nurturing a relationship. Because when both people are willing to invest, relationships can heal, grow, and thrive in ways you might not have imagined.

For him, every day is an opportunity to be of service to others in the hope of sowing seeds for a better world. If you make date night plans with your partner, keep to them instead of canceling them if something more interesting comes along, or you’re simply not feeling it at the time. Treat one another like you did when you were dating, make an effort with one another, and you’ll avoid potential resentment. It would be great if relationships coasted on their own momentum indefinitely, and remained perfectly solid and healthy over time. In reality, they require work and maintenance just like everything else.

Indeed, numerous factors (e.g., disapproval of friends and financial infidelity) could lead to breakup and divorce. Another potential source of relationship difficulties is undesirable traits or a lack of desirable ones. The information on this page is not intended to replace assistance, diagnosis, or treatment from a clinical or medical professional. Readers are urged to seek professional help if they are struggling with a mental health condition or another health concern. Discover Hannah DeWitt’s background and expertise, and explore their expert articles they’ve either written or contributed to on mental health and well-being. Kate Hanselman is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC).

Start Sharing To Make The Other Person Share More Too

It’s about deeper emotional needs—like the need to feel valued, safe, understood, or connected. With involuntary singlehood and divorce rising, many couples seek effective strategies to strengthen and improve their romantic relationship. Thriveworks was established in 2008, with the ultimate goal of helping people live happy and successful lives. In addition to providing exceptional clinical care and customer service, we accomplish our mission by offering important information about mental health and self-improvement.

She specializes in family conflict, transgender issues, grief, sexual orientation issues, trauma, PTSD, anxiety, behavioral issues, and women’s issues. Strengthening a relationship requires understanding, respect, trust, and warmth. In the fog of everyday life, it can be easy to forget this one simple bit of relationship wisdom — say nice things to each other. Research finds that saying nice things to your partner not only reduces their cholesterol and stress levels, and boosts their immune system. A Florida State study found that expressing anger via a heated yet honest conversation, despite causing discomfort short term, may benefit the health of the relationship in the long term. Sexual desire naturally ebbs and flows over time, so as long as you’re maintaining an intimate connection with your partner then the number of times you have sex is good for you.

Give Them An Experience As A Gift

It’s important to start this sharing process right from the first interactions. If you’re looking to get closer with someone you barely know, here’s a great way to get started. Another study shows this is especially important when you are trying to get closer to someone you don’t know yet. You might try challenging yourself by anticipating what their needs are and what they may need from you in the future.

Once tempers have calmed down, it’s important to make sure you each have a chance to get your points across. Try to give each person space to communicate their point of view. No matter how much you miss them, don’t forget about other important areas of your life.

Conventional wisdom suggests that more sex means greater happiness in a marriage. After all, sex releases endorphins and feel-good hormones that promote physical and mental well-being. Dr. John Gottman found that 94% of the time, the tone a conversation starts with is the same one it will end with. Arguments often blow up because one partner escalates the conflict by making a critical or contemptuous remark. You can have a deeper connection with your partner by being present.

Trying a new activity with your partner may help boost positive emotions and increase your sense of connection and relationship satisfaction. When it’s your turn to listen, pay close attention to what your partner is saying without interrupting. You can ask follow-up questions or share words of support when they’re done talking. Try to keep recent The Lucky Date reviews an open mind and resist the urge to judge or criticize. You don’t need to be on the brink of separation to benefit from couples therapy. In fact, some of the most successful couples use therapy as a tool to maintain connection—not just repair it.

So what happens if you find yourself having to help someone you don’t like? Your actions will suddenly be in conflict with your feelings. To balance out this dissonance, you will subconsciously increase your liking of the person. Note that this is the very minimum amount of time needed, as found by the study. But in any case, it’s clear that the more time you spend with someone, the deeper bond you can create with them.