Happy relationships are not easy, they are built on trust, loyalty, and a lot of hard work! If you are in a happy relationship or not, you can keep it that way or make it better by making a few changes in your behavior and the relationship.
There are many relationship experts that teach you to focus on what is right in your relationship instead of focusing on what is wrong. When you understand the positive behavior of your partner, it will have a greater impact on your happiness and bonding.
You might have made efforts to bond with your partner in the early days of the relationship but when you are a few years in, there are many more opportunities to grow closer to the partner.
It is a lifelong pursuit to learn to bond in a relationship and it is not that difficult. Putting an effort into a relationship will ensure that you and your partner are happy and trust one another.
It is not hard but it takes work. It could be easy for some and difficult for others. Bonding with your partner is easy when it comes out of shared hobbies, or experiences.
You need to identify the little ways in which you can grow love and bond with your partner.
Here are 10 effective ways to deepen your relationship and be a happy couple
1. Embrace the uniqueness of your partner:
All of us have had moments when we wished for a partner who was more romantic, thinner, smarter, wealthier, and so on. Reconsider your expectations and ask yourself how realistic you are. When you have unrealistic expectations, it will lead to chronic frustration and failure of the relationship.
You need to accept the uniqueness of your partner and embrace it. They are the way they are. You cannot love somebody by asking them to become someone else.
When you accept them the way they are, they become their best version and it leads to a loving relationship.
2. Thank them:
When was the last time you thanked your partner for no reason? Small gestures go a long way and can keep the relationship strong. Random acts of kindness are crucial for every relationship.
Fill up the tank with gas, prepare coffee just the way they like it, order pizza when they are too tired to cook. Touching or hand holding are little ways of showing affection.
Research shows that small romantic gestures have a huge impact on the happiness of a couple than the grand but less frequent gestures.
3. Spend time connecting every day:
We often think that we are always with each other and talk to each other all the time. But how often do we talk about things that really matter?
Do you discuss things that will deepen your understanding of your partner? Happy couples always talk to each other and not only about their relationship but about all the other things. They know a lot about their partner in areas of value, life dreams, stressors, and friends.
This is one aspect you can never take for granted. You need to set aside 10 minutes every day to talk to your partner. Do not talk about work or the relationship. You need to talk about things that really matter to you and it will infuse love and spirit in the relationship.
4. Fall in love again:
There is nothing as romantic as a spontaneous date but that rarely happens. We keep ourselves so busy that we do not make time for each other. In order to keep a relationship healthy, you need to plan a date every week.
It can be a dinner out at a nice restaurant, an art show in the city, couples yoga at a fitness center, piano lessons at a music school in Austin, dancing, catch the latest movie, or whatever that you love to do together. You can take turns planning it out.
Women are more passionate about it and they have a great time planning but it should never be one partner’s responsibility. You need to take turns and try to make the day special for your partner. Watch what happens when you plan a special night with your beloved.
5. Grow together:
Your relationship is a living thing and it needs nourishment to grow. If you do not pay attention to it, the relationship will fade and die. An ideal way to nurture it is to infuse it with change. Just like a plant needs fertilizer, your relationship needs change.
It is a key ingredient to happiness. It can be a small change and does not have to upset your routine in any manner. For example, you can switch roles for a day and let him prepare dinner. If he always makes the dinner reservation, you do it this time.
You can also visit a museum nearby or pick any tourist spot and explore it together. Take classes together or head to an exotic destination and learn water-skiing. Do anything that sparks your soul and allows you to grow together.
6. Be a part of their family and friends:
Men are always happy when their partner has a good relationship with the family. You do not need to love each other’s friends but you need to accept them.
Make an effort to know them and try to become a part of their family. Research shows that couples who accept each other’s family and friends are happier than couples who have separate family lives and separate friends.
7. Look after them:
There are three things couples need in a strong relationship- support, intimacy, and reassurance. It is important to have a partner who is always there for you.
This becomes one of the most important aspects of the relationship. Men like to give instrumental support, the kind that will resolve your issues and fix everything.
Women like to give emotional support as an empathetic listener and with constructive feedback. You need to identify the kind of help your partner wants and then give it to them.
This is not a one-time thing, you need to support them endlessly and consistently.
8. Do not stress:
Keep your relationship light and learn to laugh. Laughter is a happiness medicine in a marriage. If you want to keep the relationship from slipping into a rut, you need to learn to balance the rational aspects of the partnership with the fun aspects.
You will have to do some things to keep your life in order and partnership secure but do not forget to play. Rediscover the joy of watching your favorite childhood show, playing a game, or dragging your partner to the dance floor.
9. Communicate in a healthy manner:
Couples who have stayed with one another for many years say that good communication skills kept them together and thriving. You should not only ask your partner what they need or how their day was but you also need to tell them about yourself.
Check in to find out what stresses your partner and what is the ugly part of your partner’s life. You will have to fight fair without any name-calling or shaming. Listen from the perspective of the third person and do not judge your partner for anything.
You can give your opinion or advice but do not force your opinion on your partner. If they are stressed, give emotional support and be around for them. Never let communication die in a relationship.
10. Put the phone down:
Last but not the least, this is something that should be said out loud. There is nothing like a connection so deep that you can sit with your partner on the couch in silence and not feel awkward about it.
You need to have dedicated phone-free time with your partner. You can make your partner feel worthy of your time by putting down the phone when communicating. It also helps bond.
You can both decide on how you want to stay away from your phone, it could be no phone at the dinner table or no phones when you are out on a date.
If not, just lead by example and prioritize your partner over endless scrolling on the phone. These moments are an ideal opportunity to bond.
At the End
There is no need for grand gestures or expensive presents to effectively bond with your partner. These 10 ways will bring about a huge change in your relationship and will make you feel more confident about the relationship.
It is not the job of one person to work towards building a happy and healthy relationship. You are a team and both of you have to work together. You are not competing with one another but you are building and growing with each other.
Plan your days and weeks accordingly so that both of you are on the same page and never take the date nights lightly. They will change the way you look at your partner. A few years down the line, you may have to put in the additional effort but it will be worth it.
Beautiful, healthy relationships are built on hard work.
