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Are you in a relationship that is struggling? Here are 7 steps to take to save your relationship.
Romantic relationships: they come and they go. However, that doesn’t always mean that we want them to go. The truth of the matter is that there are some relationships worth fighting for.
Are you in a serious relationship that’s going through some turbulence? Hoping to weather the storm? If so, this article could be of some use to you.
Without further ado, here are 7 steps to save your relationship.
How to Save Your Relationship
There is no guaranteed way to save a relationship. Sometimes, things just aren’t meant to be. However, by following the steps below, you, at the very least, give your relationship a chance to survive.
Here is how to salvage a relationship.
1. Focus On Each Others’ Love Languages
Everyone gives and receives love differently. This is summed up succinctly in Gary Chapman’s iconic relationship guide, “The Five Love Languages”.
Chapman asserts that there are 5 different ways in which human beings interpret love. These include quality time, gift giving, acts of service, physical touch, and words of affirmation. While a human being can possess more than one of these languages, it’s rare that he or she possesses more than two or three.
Often times, differences in love languages are what lead to strain in a relationship. For instance, while one half of the relationship feels love when receiving a gift, the other half of the relationship feels love when receiving physical touch. If neither side of the relationship understands these needs, they won’t be accommodated consistently, and love will die.
The key is to figure out you and your partner’s love languages. Once you’ve done this, you can both make efforts to show the proper type of love toward one another. In some cases, this alone can save the relationship.
2. Spend Special Time Together
Life is busy. Between work, school, friendships, and other obligations, it can be difficult for couples to spend time with one another. Unfortunately, for some couples, a lack of time spent together is the reason for the relationship’s deterioration.
If this is the case with your relationship, you would be wise to set aside some special time for you and your partner. Going on a fun date together could reignite the flame that once burned so brightly.
Conversely, allowing things to continue as is will only lead to further deterioration. Then, eventually, the relationship will implode entirely.
3. Discuss What You Want from the Relationship
When entering a relationship, everyone is looking for something a little different. Some are only out for a good time and are completely unwilling to let things get serious. Others enter their relationships with hopes that they will last over the long-haul.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with either type of relationship. However, it’s important that both sides of a relationship understand what the other is looking for.
If you’re having hard times in your relationship, it’s probably time for the two of you to sit down and reevaluate your needs. You could find that you’re incompatible and end the relationship immediately. On the other hand, you could strengthen your resolve for one another, prompting both of you to start giving your best effort again.
4. Give Each Other Space
Often times, when a relationship starts to go south, one individual will try to get even closer to the other individual, doing so in an effort to save the romance. Unfortunately, this action often has the opposite effect and instead places stress on the romance.
If you feel like your partner has been distant lately, you’re advised to approach cautiously. Instead of dialing up contact, you should dial back contact.
There’s a chance that your partner is feeling pressure over the state of the relationship. Attempting to make the relationship even more serious will only compound this pressure.
Give your partner some alone time, allowing him or her to engage in familiar hobbies. This time spent away from you could rekindle old feelings, making the relationship stronger than it ever was before.
5. Touch Regularly
Has physical affection left your relationship? Do you and your partner struggle with consistent physical touch? If so, you need to start establishing it again as soon as possible.
Generally, once the physical intimacy goes, the relationship goes with it. Why? Because, for many of us, physical intimacy is a biological need.
If our partners can’t give it to us, we feel as though we’re being shortchanged. Naturally, resentment builds and the relationship crumbles.
How can you get around this problem? By consciously engaging in physical touch on a regular basis. Kissing, hugging, and, of course, sex is all vital to a strong relationship.
6. Establish Boundaries
In some cases, relationships will crumble due to codependency, a state of being in which the two members of a relationship become a single entity as opposed to two unique individuals. The more codependent a relationship becomes, the more each partner loses him or herself. Over time, this can cause a sense of desperation so deep that it obliterates the relationship entirely.
The question is, how do you deal with it? The answer is by establishing boundaries.
Having clear-cut rules for what you will and won’t allow in your relationship will allow you to maintain your unique identity throughout. If you’re able to maintain your identity, codependency will be averted, and your relationship will remain strong.
7. Take Advantage of Couples Therapy
If your relationship has taken on substantial amounts of stress, it might be wise to seek professional help. Couples therapy can work wonders in getting a relationship back on track, as it allows the two members of the relationship to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and concerns honestly.
Make note, however, that couples therapy shouldn’t be used as leverage to support your side of an argument. You’re going into therapy to strengthen the relationship. Using it to downgrade the thoughts and feelings of your partner will only create a bigger divide.
Find More Relationship Tips!
Keeping a faltering relationship alive isn’t the easiest of tasks. However, by following the steps reviewed above, you just might be able to save your relationship.
In need of more life tips? You can find them right here at Neon Cherries. Peruse our selection of lifestyle articles now!
