Remember that moment when you realized you were in love? How magical it all seemed? You were so sure that it would last forever.
Love, like most things, needs nurturing. It requires constant attention. If you take your eye off the ball for even a small instant, you will find yourself in dangerous waters. Why is that so? Love can be strong, but it's also the most delicate thing you are likely to come across. If your loved one is hurt or sick, you spend countless hours nursing them back to health. Yet, an errant phrase or misguided act by your loved one can do irreparable damage. It doesn't take much for love to fade -- even between the most committed of individuals.
Take time to gauge the status of your relationship. Is it still rock solid or are you now in choppy waters? If you find your relationship needs work, it is better to start repairing it now before it is too late.
1. Reconnect with your partner
There is a lot that can come between two people -- work, family, friends, money. The list is endless. Sometimes the biggest impediment to a relationship is the people in it. You need to make time for each other. Take more than a short moment to reconnect. Reminisce about what bought you together in the first place, but don't be reluctant to try out new things.
2. Stop toxic patterns
Every couple has their own quirks, tiny little habits that are a staple to your relationship. Every couple also has their own patterns and rhythms. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Who has first dibs on the TV remote? Who has the last word in every argument? These patterns sustain a relationship. They give you something to fall back on in tough times.
However, not all patterns are healthy. Some are downright toxic for your relationship. Finding those toxic patterns and working on them may be key to saving your relationship.
3. Celebrate your differences
One of the most primal reasons for attraction is because that person brings with them something that has been missing in our own lives. Relationships are about two people completing one another. Yet as the relationship seasons, we fixate on those differences rather then embracing them. We wish to rid our significant other of those very quirks that attracted us to them in the first place.
4. Increase commitment
As you grow older, your commitment towards your partner should grow as well. Yet the opposite is often true. We find ourselves less devoted to our partners over time. What leads to this erosion of commitment? One of the biggest culprits is the decline in gestures that are meant to convey commitment. We are not talking about surprise getaways or renewing your vows but rather the little things like hugging them before going to work or kissing them good night. These are everyday gestures that keep your relationship on solid ground.
5. Express gratitude
Let your partner know how lucky you are to have them in your life. Small gestures that convey gratitude can sustain your relationship longer than any therapist. A bouquet of flowers here, and a note in the lunchbox there, will keep your relationship to flow smoothly.
6. Bring touch back into the relationship
Touching someone is the most intimate of human gestures. It is the utmost expression of our deepest self. A reassuring touch to someone in pain even by the most random of strangers can work wonders. Imagine how powerful must the touch of a loved one be. At some point in every relationship, these gestures seem to vanish. If you want to save your relationship, bring the physical touch back. Remember at the start of your relationship, when your fingers touched by mistake and it left you both tingling as if jolted by electricity? Physical touch still carries with it the same power, we just aren't as aware of it as we used to be.
Here are some things you can do to get your relationship back on track. Don't waste too much time dawdling, or you might one day find your relationship is beyond saving.