Everyone needs their other half, and every time you see each other, you’re just as in love as you were the first time you saw each other. This is the vision that’s released a thousand ships and spawned a slew of books and films. Relationships in real life are nothing like they are in movies: True relationships are difficult to maintain, and they necessitate a lot of effort. No Hollywood or Bollywood screenwriter is sitting behind one keyboard, ensuring that all will be well by the half-hour and twenty-minute mark, ensuring that everyone gets their money’s worth and a good ending. It is entirely up to you to make a relationship work.
It isn’t easy to maintain a relationship, but consider old married couples that have been together for fifty, sixty, or more years: how did they do it?
Well, secrets to building a healthy, happy and long relationship are what we are going to be discussing here.
1. Allow your “perfection list” to wither away
Everyone has an image in their mind about what they want their partner to be like in the future. People generally develop this concept early in life, often as adolescents, sometimes as adults, and sometimes as children. This can be incredibly precise, and it often extends beyond personal choice or having a “form.” This is what we’ll refer to as your “perfection list”, a list of everything you imagine your lover to be. However, once you let go of your “perfection list,” you might find that what it is you’re searching for has always been there.
Classifying partners makes it more challenging to locate a compatible partner, and you may be missing out on someone extraordinary who’s been staring you down for a while, only hoping for you to take the initiative.
2. Empathy
Listening to each other and attempting to consider each other’s feelings doesn’t mean you have to change your own opinions or even say you’re sorry. It simply means demonstrating to your partner that you care about what they’re feeling and are willing to find a middle ground if necessary. Even though you’ve known your partner for a long time, try to put yourself in their shoes and understand that they might see things very differently than you do.
3. Leave the fairy tale behind
All is fresh and exciting whenever a couple first gets together. They ignore the minor irritations that the other person causes and maybe believe in a fairy tale in which all flaws can vanish. Unrealistic assumptions of how the other person “will become” or how perfect the relationship will often end badly. Great relationships necessitate continual effort focused on mutual love and values. Allow for flaws and be adaptable as you seek to build and sustain a fantastic –but realistic– partnership.
4. Cultivate a shared sense of interests
It is important to spend quality time together. That time can be spent with friends, eating out, watching a sporting event, or cuddling while enjoying a favourite film. What matters isn’t the case itself. Simply being together or doing something you both love would strengthen your bond. Develop shared interests in a unique way. Inquire into your friend’s interests and hobbies. Be willing to try new things and exchange ideas about shared hobbies and interests with one another. This will ensure that the relationship remains enjoyable!
5. Boundaries
We all have our boundaries of what makes us feel good, relaxed, and secure. You should completely feel at ease sharing certain limits in a healthy relationship, and you must know that they’ll be respected and vice versa for your partner. It’s fine if you want to hang out three times a week; it’s alright if you want to wait before getting intimate; it’s fine if you’d like to keep your Monday Funday night with the biffles. In every relationship, note that setting personal boundaries should not be a source of anxiety or fear.
6. Work on improving your relationship
Weeds will eventually destroy even the hardiest plants in an untended garden. It’s the same for relationships. It is necessary to resolve issues and misunderstandings as soon as possible. Few people believe that healthy relationships develop organically. The reality is that, like everything else in life, a healthy relationship should be worked on and tended to daily. When a partnership is neglected, it tends to deteriorate.
7. Getting rid of past baggage
Whenever a couple first gets together, it’s important to remember that it’s two people coming together to shape one life. When it comes to luggage, the safest advice is to let go of as much as possible. Consider it a fresh start, a new beginning, something between you and someone new – with no need to include someone or something from the past. Hardly anything should have mattered before you met, so this kind of baggage should be let go of and put open upon the table as soon as possible in a relationship at the very least – that’s how you avoid any unpleasant secrets from erupting like an angry snake from a bag in 10 years.
8. Show support
A great partnership is built on actions and words that display mutual support. Seek ways to show each other that you value each other. Reassure them that they are an excellent partner, parent, and friend. Compliment them with kind words that are always believed but not spoken. If the other person struggles or feels down or anxious, your words of encouragement are a chance to lift them by demonstrating your genuine concern. Being reminded of your greatness by your partner, both in good and difficult times, is a gift of a relationship.
9. Online relationships
Existing relationships can now be strengthened, thanks to the internet. Few couples, especially those who have encountered social media cheating, may disagree, but keep in mind that the internet is still a simple tool, and how every couple uses it is unique. If used correctly, it has the potential to keep your relationship’s bonds woven together firmly; if not, your relationship will crumble. But, it will probably have unravelled even before the internet: Cheaters cheat not just whether they have internet access.
10. Share secrets
Friends who are transparent and honest with one another have the best relationships. They aren’t afraid to reveal intimate details of themselves to their partner. Sharing secrets, secrets that disclose your greatest ambitions, wishes, dreams, and disappointments, requires a deep sense of safety and confidence. Vulnerability increases intimacy and enhances the bond between partners. Being a safe place for your partner to share their secrets is a way to honour the other.