Falling in love is daring, exciting, and new – but what happens when the love starts to fizzle out? Is there a way to keep the spark in a relationship burning and to stay in it for the long term? We think there is.
Keeping things fresh
There’s nothing worse than when a relationship starts to go stale. You may find yourself in a rut and by doing the same things all the time, you will eventually get bored. You may even interpret this as you itching for the freedom and fun of the single life, when really you just need to break out of the routine. Keep things fresh, plan date nights to somewhere special once in a while – because who doesn’t like to get dressed up to the nines and go to somewhere swanky (yes even guys do too!)
Open communication
How can you solve your problems if you can’t speak about them? It’s important to be open and honest in a relationship so you can work on any problems there might be. If you bottle up your problems and don’t speak about them, the problem may escalate and turn into an argument that could have easily been avoided. The reality is every relationship will have its ups and downs. It’s the way that you resolve them and learn from them that make the difference, as well as keep your relationship solid and healthy.
You don’t have to live in each other’s pockets
A mistake that many new couples make in the throng of their new romance is to spend all their waking hours with their partner. While it’s nice to have them around, everyone needs their own space and if you are living in each other’s pockets, you may get aggravated about tiny things which really have no merit in the bigger picture. While your partner is a big part of your life, they don’t have to become your whole life – this is something to consider if you want your relationship to prosper and grow.
Give and take
Sometimes your partner will want to go to places that you have no interest in, or watch that one TV show on the tele that you really hate, but relationships are all about compromise and doing things to make your other half happy. So next time you really feel like saying no to a suggestion they make, remember that you would want them to say yes for you too.
Make sure you follow these steps from the go will mean that your relationship is strengthened at every stage – and who knows, with a bit of luck and persistence maybe you’ll become that cute old couple sitting together on a park bench (aww!)
This post was brought to you by eHarmony UK.