Psychologist Jo Lamble give expert advice for keeping the romance alive in a long-term relationship…
One of the best pieces of relationship advice that I have ever received was from a couple who had been married for more than 50 years. They told me that the secret to their success was that they had always treated each other like the most important guest in the house. They didn’t save their best behaviour for visitors. They respected each other, treasured each other and even used the best china and crystal when they were home alone. Here are some other ways to keep the spark in your relationship…
Celebrate
Your wedding anniversary is a wonderful opportunity to remind each other how you feel. It doesn’t cost much to buy a card or turn off the TV and tell your partner how blessed you feel to have them in your life. Then you can save up and really splash out for the milestone anniversaries – 10, 25, 50, 60!
Be interested
Showing an interest in your partner’s world will help maintain the romance. Intimacy is more than just having sex. Intimacy means sharing – physically and emotionally. Couples who never discuss the details of their days can start to drift apart. Try not to focus on whose day is harder. Rather, try to develop a true understanding of how your partner spends his or her day.
Nurture each other
At the end of a hard day, the last thing you feel like doing might be attending to your partner’s needs. But making him or her a cup of tea or asking about their bad back or head cold can have such a positive effect on your relationship. You are far more likely to get some empathy for your tough day or your sore neck if you are able to show you care about them.
Laugh
Life is full of responsibilities – don’t forget to enjoy yourselves.
If you are stuck for inspiration, hire a comedy DVD, reminisce about a hilarious episode in your past or remember funny anecdotes from your day and share them over dinner.
Source: Modernghana
“[katogoaward]”
