Romantic relationships are one of the most important relationships in our lives. We intend to spend the most time with this person, maybe even start a family with them and move to a house by the sea, somewhere in warm places, in our old age. There is still a long way to go, but if a person has the potential for a long-term future with us, we can see it already in the first year of living together.
Couples are too concerned with the question of why their relationships fail, but not enough are asked, what they could do from the start to make their relationships work. Chemistry and strong sexual attraction are not the most important, at least not in the long term. For the latter, the most important thing is that the partners represent a safe haven for each other and that they feel that they can be open and vulnerable with each other. It doesn't happen overnight, but we can definitely get to that point after a year with some effort. How? With the following tricks.
1. Work through communication problems.
It is common knowledge that they are open and honest communication key to a healthy and successful relationship. Although we should not expect to solve all problems in the first year of a relationship, this time is certainly the best for discovering how we communicate with our partner and how we could improve communication. Dating expert Samantha Daniels said that it's communication that helps a couple feel connected and builds a solid foundation to start a successful relationship. So if you want your relationship to last, talk and be honest. About pleasant and unpleasant matters.
2. Create realistic expectations.
Everyone (especially women) enters a relationship with certain expectations. Some of these can be positive, while others can be harmful to the relationship, even if we don't realize it. A health expert at Maple Holistics said it takes in your head to "sacrifice" the idea of a perfect relationship and a perfect partner. Only in this way can we get the most out of the existing relationship and not deal with what the partner and the relationship lacks, but accept it as it is and enjoy it.
3. Keep trying new things together.
Keeping the spark in a relationship is not something we deal with in the first year, because then everything is new and exciting. But to avoid extinguishing the spark in the future, it is good to introduce from the beginning trying new things together and we carry it into the future. Daniels says that a lot of couples get too casual in their relationship and that spark starts to fade. This is precisely why it is important to discover new things together. Go to an oriental dance class together, try your hand at archery or introduce a new toy to bed. There are almost no obstacles, except that both of you are having fun.
4. Get rid of old baggage (literally, too).
If we want to start a new relationship that will last, it is important that we clear out all the old emotional baggage that the previous relationship left behind. Relationship expert Avilone Bailey said that many individuals enter new relationships carrying issues from old relationships or even from childhood. If we want our new relationship to sail past the first year, it is necessary to clean up everything that limits us from fully loving our new partner. Sometimes it helps to literally get rid of old baggage - by deleting pictures and removing old memories.
5. Make time for your partner's interests and hobbies.
The first year is the year of getting to know your partner and his passions. Daniels says you have to to take time and delve into our partner's hobbies and interests, even if we are otherwise not interested in them. This shows him that we care. Of course, it is not necessary to pretend that we are interested or like something if we are not, but we can make an effort and at least show an interest in wanting to know more about our partner's hobby. This will make our partner happy, and consequently so will we.
6. Take time to connect daily (or as often as possible).
We have already talked about communication. It is important to point out that we communicate not only when solving problems, but all the time, even about the smallest matters. About what you ate for lunch today, something nice happened to you at work or what happened in the final part of your favorite series. Sharing these details brings you and your partner closer, as they are also your best friend with whom you want to share everything.
7. Accept your partner's flaws.
We're all human, we all make mistakes, and none of us are exactly what our partner wants us to be. Rather than we accept our partner's flaws and turn them into something positive and we even start to love them, it will be better and we will be happier. Changing partners is pointless, as it rarely lasts. That's why we have to prepare ourselves to be a little fluid from time to time, because our partner will get on our nerves. This is something normal and human.
8. Define what is important to you in a relationship.
Before embarking on a long journey together, it is good to talk about what our expectations are in a long-term relationship. We must tell our partner what the words love, sex, and what we expect from the relationship mean to us. This is the only way we can find out if our expectations are similar and we are in favor of being together. The topics that need to be covered are: sex, love, romance, finances, passion, commitment, respect and loyalty. If we are at least roughly on the same page about them, the basis for a long-term relationship is ready.
9. Maintain your individuality.
When we are in love, we can quickly lose our self and become one with our partner. It's nice to an extent, though we must not lose our individuality and close ourselves in our bubble. Sometimes we need to let our partner and ourselves breathe and focus on our own interests that do not involve our partner. Let's not forget about our friends, our hobbies and take care of our body and health, because only if we are happy and fulfilled ourselves will we transfer this to the relationship.
10. Learn how your partner shows love.
Each person in the process of growing up has developed their own way of showing emotions and love. What for one person means showing love, for another it means that their partner does not love them. That is why it is important to be open from the start about how we show love and how our partner interprets our show. Is kissing in public comfortable for both of you? Is it difficult for a partner to talk about his feelings, even though he loves us immensely? These are matters that are good to know in the first year of the relationship and thus avoid inconvenience and misunderstanding of actions.
Maintaining a happy relationship over the years is certainly no small feat, which is why many individuals are in unhappy relationships that lead to divorce. But if you follow these ten tips, you will on the right track to handle all the problems you may face in the future in the relationship.
