No relationship is easy. It takes hard work. While you may love your partner, there is more to being in a relationship besides saying I love you. You need to show your partner that you care about them. When you show how much you care, your relationship can only thrive. So get started on a stronger, more healthier relationship by following these 15 simple tips.

1. Go With The Ups and Downs

Every relationship has its high and low points. Hard work is key if you want the relationship to work. If you accept the highs and the lows and get though them together, your relationship is not only strengthened but the love you have for each other grows. You may have to deal with your stresses alone but when you come together in the end, it will be all worth it. Just have some faith. Trust that everything will work out in the end.

Fighting and crying may become a part of your life. Take a break from each other for a little while. Think about all the good qualities about the person. Think about why you fell in love in the first place. In the end when you come back to each other, you’ll know why you love them and be able to fix what went wrong. The anger and sadness will disappear, and you’ll be left with nothing but love for each other.

2. Forgiveness and Forgetting

Forgive and forget is a part of any relationship. Holding onto the past won’t help anything. The last thing you want to do is bring your baggage into a new relationship. You can express you love for your partner by letting the past go and focusing on the future with your new love. It will be a weight off both of your shoulders. You’ll both be healthier in the long run by moving forward and not dwelling in the past.

You need to decide if forgiving and forgetting what has happened in this relationship is worth it. In the long run will you both benefit from these actions. If there is too much damage within the relationship to forgive, then it’s time to move on. There are some things you can’t forget but when they start piling up, it may just be healthier for you to leave the relationship with your emotional sanity intact. Do what’s best for you in this situation. You don’t deserve constant chaos in this cycle of forgive and forget so know when to let go.

3. Accept Each Other’s Beliefs

Men are from Mars and women are from venus. You both have different views when it comes to relationships. So what do you do? Talk about what you believe a healthy relationship is. Come to a consensus. You both show love by coming together as a couple with your beliefs and finding some common ground.

Men and women have different beliefs when it comes to love. It’s important to learn from each other on how you want to feel loved. Tell your partner you love them, do something without being asked, give gifts just because, spend time together, and intimacy are some of the ways you can express your love for one another. Figure out which way your partner prefers and show them everyday how much they mean to you. Your beliefs may be different when it comes to love but in the end you will both come out the other side a much stronger couple. You will be a lot happier, that’s for sure.

4. Speak Up

Communication is essential in any relationship. If you’re not heard in your relationship, speak up. No one else can do it for you. Your partner needs to know what you need. They can’t read your mind. The key is to be honest and open minded because saying I love you is meeting each others’ needs.

They’ll never know what you want if you’re lips aren’t moving. If you’re partner is not letting you speak, this is a whole different story. If you have the ability to say how you’re feeling, it’s important to do so. You can’t ever move forward, and you’ll stay in the same place if you don’t talk about your concerns about the relationship. You may be afraid to lose your partner or end up alone, but these are not good enough reasons to not speak your opinion. Talking is the key to your future as well as a healthier relationship because it can solve your problems sooner rather than later.

5. Disagree If Need Be

You’re different than your partner, and you will have disagreements. It’s a part of every relationship. Fighting on a daily basis may become routine. The key is to accept each other’s differences and accept that you will disagree. At the end of the day you still love each other. That’s all that matters in the end.

Don’t ever go to bed with your disagreements. Nothing is being resolved. They will only fester and come out in words thrown at each other that you can’t take back. When disagreements aren’t resolved, you’re relationship with each other as well as the people around you will suffer. Dragging your family and friends into taking sides is the worst thing any couple can do. It creates more chaos, so you need to compromise and just accept each other’s differences and respect each other.

6. Always Question

Being afraid to ask questions means being afraid to open yourself up to someone. If you have a question about your partner, ask them. It is the key to understanding them a little bit more. Saying I love you means learning about your partner’s behavior and growing more as a couple. You’re can only move forward this way. When you understand each other, you begin to see why you fell in love with your partner in the first place.

You may be afraid of the answers but how else will you truly know yourself and your partner. If you want to exist with your partner and build a life with them, it’s important to know who they are. What do they like? What do they not like? How do they feel? When you know your partner and your partner knows you, you can both live in harmony.

 

7. Deal With Problems When They Come

Everyone has problems in a relationship. So what do you do to solve them?The last thing you want to do is put your problems on the back burner because they will fester overtime. Face your problems like adults and you will have less conflict in the future. When you understand how your partner is feeling, they feel loved. When you deal with your problems together instead of apart, you grow closer as a couple.

Your problems can only keep piling on top of each other if you don’t acknowledge them. Everything is not fine, and it won’t help your relationship if you pretend. It can be an overwhelming way to live, but you don’t have to live this way. If you feel that your problems are just too much to deal with, you may be looking at breaking up or a divorce in your future. This is the last thing you want. Solve each problem as it comes if you want your relationship to be stronger moving forward.

 

8. Listening Is Key

This is important in any relationship you have. You’re really saying I love you when you listen to your partner talk about their worries and concerns without being judged. They need you to see things from their point and view. Don’t ignore them because it makes them feel like they’re not worth it in your eyes. When you understand your partner, they know you’re their to support them no matter what. It’s the best feeling in the world.

When your partner is talking to you, it doesn’t feel good when you turn on the TV and pretend to listen by nodding your head. You’re being disrespectful and not in tune with your partner’s needs. You wonder why you’re arguing so often, well this might give you a clue. Listening is the key to your happiness. When you listen, they listen to you as well. You feel like what you have to say matters to them, and it does because they love you.

 

9. Fun As A Couple

Fun is essential in a relationship. It may even make your relationship more exciting. Finding out what your partner likes to do to have a good time and taking an interest will bring you closer as a couple. When they do the same for you, that is saying I love you. You care about their happiness. Together you can incorporate what you and your partner think is fun into your daily lives.

Date night is one way to have fun. Put away your phones and frustrations about work and concentrate on being together. Let loose with the person who knows you the most. Whether you’re spending time at home with a romantic dinner for two or going to a carnival, your focus will be on each other. You can even recreate your first day or try something new and exciting together. You’re having fun because you’re with each other and not because of what you’re doing.

 

10. Be Close

Learn how to stay close to each other throughout the years because it can be hard when kids come into the picture. You have to make your partner a priority. Say I love you by making it through the things that keep you apart. The reality of your life may send you and your partner drifting away from each other but the key is to always find your way back to each other no matter the cost. If you’re relationship is strong, you’ll always find a way to be close. The closer you are to your partner, the more powerful your connection is as a couple.

To keep your relationship hot it’s important to be intimate. Hand holding and a kiss before bed are some ways to be close. It’s not always about sex because sex isn’t always about love. Messages, a kiss goodbye, and a kiss hello are other ways to show your partner that they matter, and that you want to be with your partner. These routines may seem trivial now, but they will keep your intimacy alive and well in the relationship. Letting your partner know you care through intimacy matters and can only strengthen your relationship.

 

11. Stay In Tune With Your Dreams And Goals

Having dreams and goals are important in any relationship. Keep your partner in the loop when it comes to your dreams and goals in life. They wanted to feel included in your life. It’s important to share your life with each other. When they feel more involved, you are saying I love you because you want to share them with your partner. You want your partner to be a part of your dreams and goals.

If your partner’s support is non-existent, then maybe they’re not the person for you. Your growth as a couple will be stunted if your dreams are not taken into account. It means you don’t care about them as individual and as a person. Resentment is a possibility, and you’ll just live together the rest of your life hating each other. You don’t want to live this way. You’ll both only be happier if you’re pursuing your dreams together because your dreams are just as important as your relationship.

 

12. Apologize

Apologizing, it happens a lot in any relationship. Admitting when you’re wrong is a humbling experience in a relationship. It’s not the most easiest thing to do. Together you can overcome anything. You will both be happier in the long run, trust me. Saying I love you means putting aside your pride and apologizing so you can put all of it behind you and move forward in your relationship.

If you can’t admit your faults in a relationship, there’s no way it can continue. If you’re wrong, you need to say you’re sorry. It’s so simple, but couples make a big thing out of it. No one’s perfect in a relationship and admitting when you’re wrong isn’t the end of the world. It may end up making you feel vulnerable in the moment, but that’s what a relationship is all about. It will be worth it in the end because you can grow from it.

 

13. Respect Yourself And What You’re Worth

Your self respect and self worth is vital to being in a healthy relationship. It’s important to love yourself and accept yourself for who you are. Being secure in yourself as a human being is a great way to start a relationship. The last thing you want to have is emotional baggage. When you love yourself, you can love your partner. Nothing says I love you more then including your partner in your path to finding your best self.

You need to learn how to be an individual before you can learn to be in a relationship. When you don’t feel respected or worth from your partner, you need to have enough self respect and self worth to leave the relationship. You have to know you’re better than how your partner is treating you. Before you even start a relationship, you need to become secure in who you are completely. If you both come into the relationship with insecurities and other problems, chaos is bound to ensue. Know yourself and know your partner and your relationship can only blossom.

 

14. Cooperate As A Couple

Relationships are a constant negotiation. Not to mention it’s a lot of work. Work together in your relationship to show how much you love each other. Don’t expect your partner to take over all the responsibility of the household while you’re way. Do something out of the norm with your partner to let them know you value and care about them. Saying I love you means knowing how to cooperate as a couple.

A relationship should give 100% from each person. When you’re not giving your all to making your relationship work, then you might as well quit now. Learn from each other what you want and compromise. Being happy requires you to come together and make your relationship work like a well oiled machine. If you can’t compromise on anything, the relationship is doomed to fail. Make sure your voice is being heard because that’s the only way things will change for the better in any relationship.

 

15. Recognize Unhealthy Relationships

Abuse is never ok. No one has the right to lay their hands on you. You need to realize when your involved in a relationship that is no good for you. Do you just keeping picking the wrong partner? Figure out why this behavior exists within you and change your behavior. Saying I love you means knowing when to let the unhealthy partner go and realizing that you love yourself enough to find someone who is good for you and deserves your love.

Are the bruises and hurtful words worth the pain? No, it’s never ok. You may not want to be alone, but it’s too dangerous to stay with a person who has the potential to not just hurt you verbally but physically as well. Know your worth and get out of the relationship before death becomes inevitable. Get help if you need to, just don’t stay and suffer abuse in silence. Your new relationship will be better because you know what to look for next time, and you know you deserve to be treated with love and respect.

 

Source: lifestylepassion
“15 Tips For a Stronger and Healthier Relationship” by:Cheryl Brite