There is an abundance of books and websites that offer dating advice, but hardly anyone teaches you the art of maintaining a healthy, long-term relationship. To fill this void, this article presents a couple of tips that can help you derive maximum benefits from your relationships.
Take Control over Your Happiness
Most people tend to look at external factors as the reason for their happiness or a lack thereof. This results in false expectations and countless hours of blaming and name calling. The fact of the matter is, only you can control what makes you happy or sad. It’s all in the mind. If you learn to take control over your emotions, you will rarely think about breaking-up or going for divorce.
Don’t Ignore your Problems
No relationship exists on the face of this world that does not have genuine problems. A silly thing to do is to keep ignoring them and putting up a fake smile so that the relationship can sustain. However well-meaning this technique is, you will ultimately pile up a lot of unresolved anger inside you that will burst forth collectively, putting a dent on your relationship so severe that it will be hard to remove.
So be realistic. When problems arise, do not become fearful and start to act in the opposite way. Take a practical approach to conflict resolution and things will go smoothly in the future.
Be a Good Listener
This cannot be stressed enough. However, you simply don’t have to be a good listener but a genuine one also. Some people realize that listening to their partner is necessary, but they only nod their heads quietly when the other person is speaking instead of genuinely engaging in the conversation.
So the next time your partner has something to say, do not look at the TV, laptop, or outside the window. Maintain eye contact and pay attention to what they say and respond accordingly. By doing so, you are not only cooling your partner down but also earning the right to heard as well.
Show Some Trust
Trust is a vital factor in all types of relationships, whether personal or professional. Suspicion on the other hand is never good. Regardless of your family background, education, and religious inclinations, accept the dynamics of the world you live in. Your partner will come into contact with hundreds of people, and unless you can’t trust them, your suspicion will take the better of you and ultimately eat up your relationship.
Maintain Space
Affection and intimacy have their own time and place. You simply cannot expect your partner to respond to you 24/7. There will come a time when they will seemingly ignore you, even ignore your calls. Relax; they may simply be busy. Maintain space between yourselves, otherwise your partner will be forced to look for privacy elsewhere.
Admit Your Mistakes
No, this doesn’t mean taking the blame for something you haven’t done. But if the situation can be sorted out by admitting to something, go for it. Be the first one to say sorry and admit your mistake. In the long term, if your partner takes advantage of this, then you can take a stand for yourself. But till then, lower your guard at all times.
Conclusion
So, it is not so difficult after all. All you have to do is to look at the wider picture, even if it results in temporary inconvenience.
