Couples in longterm relationships keep working towards strengthening their bond by doing little things every single day that make them happy.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 8, 2019. It has since been updated.
Relationships are not a cakewalk. If you think finding the one you want to spend your life with is the difficult part, then you'll be mighty surprised. Maintaining that relationship is just as hard. You have to nurture it every single day with love, respect, trust, and so much more. And couples who've been together for long will tell you that it takes equal effort from both partners every single day, in the form of small gestures, to make a relationship last.
Couples in strong committed relationships include certain rituals in their daily lives to show they care. Here are seven things to add to your relationship to make it more loving and strong:
Whether you decide to add more morning rituals or not, this is an important one. When you wake your partner up calmly, their day goes well since having a peaceful morning is crucial to the mood you will carry throughout the day. Many people wake up feeling anxious because of the stress in their lives but it can be minimized by adding some routines that make you calm, according to HuffPost. So, instead of jolting them awake so that their heart rate spikes leaving them anxious, be kind and loving.
Whether you're kissing or hugging them goodbye or as a greeting when you see them again, adding this bit of good touch is important. According to Psychology Today, our skin remembers all kinds of touches, good, bad, or none. When couples greet each other with a hug, they are showering themselves with a touch of love.
This is crucial for keeping the communication alive. When you delve into the nitty-gritty of the day, you are including your partner in your day. While space is important in a relationship, keeping alive the intimacy is too. Carve out time to talk to each other at the end of the day so you can tell them what happened during the day in your life and hear about theirs too. In every conversation, you have to listen and talk too.
Whether you have had a fight or not, don't stop telling them that you love them as you part ways for the day. Even if you are going to spend the day at home with each other, don't forget to slip in this declaration of love. Everyone loves to be told that they are loved.
When you spend time with each other, keep your phones away and put the focus on each other, according to HuffPost. Spending too much with technology is related to more relationship conflict and less relationship satisfaction, according to Psychology Today. It also makes people feel more depressed and decreases life satisfaction. People feel hurt when partners use phones even when you are around. It feels like a rejection.
Couples that laugh together, stay together, according to scientists. "Playfulness between romantic partners is a crucial component in bonding and establishing relational security," Professor Jeffrey Hall of the University of Kansas said. "Particularly shared laughter is an important indicator of romantic attraction between potential mates."
When couples have inside jokes i.e. they create humor together, they are more likely to last. "People say they want a sense of humor in a mate, but that's a broad concept,' Professor Hall said. "What is strongly related to relationship satisfaction is the humor that couples create together... If you share a sense of what's funny, it affirms you and affirms your relationship through laughter," he said.
If you have bedtime rituals together, it's a plus for your relationship. You could make the grooming before bed part more intimate by showering together. "Even if you're a morning person and like to shower to get your day going, it's nice to set just one night a week where you and your partner shower together," NYC-based therapist Kimberly Hershenson told Bustle. "Washing each other builds intimacy and makes you feel pampered," she said.
References:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6606149/Couples-laugh-stay-scientists-discover.html
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-habits-of-happy-couples_b_6843026
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/just-listen/200911/10-habits-happy-couples
