Falling in love is easy; making it last is the hard part. Here are 10 things that I think are most important to sustain a healthy long-term relationship.
Stop worrying about looking pretty.
If your significant other really loves you, it won’t matter if you look like a mess.
If you get into a fight, TALK ABOUT IT.
Nothing is less productive than getting into a fight that never gets resolved. Just because you’re not yelling anymore doesn’t mean that the issue is gone. It may be hard, but the best thing to do is sit down and calmly talk it out.
Make spending time together a priority.
Even if it just means sitting in the same room while you study.
Build trust first.
The Beatles were wrong when they said that love is all you need. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that trust is even more important. Without trust, you really have no foundation. It’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to completely give your heart to someone who you don’t trust.
Cultivate a friendship.
After you have trust and love, friendship is the next important thing. Your significant other should be someone you want to hang out with like you do your closest friends.
LAUGH.
It really is the best medicine. Finding someone who you can have fun with is so important, especially if you are considering spending the rest of your life with him or her. Luckily, if you have built a friendship with your significant other, this part should be easy.
Between laughing fits, be sure to have the serious talks.
If your life goals are completely different, it might be worth reevaluating the relationship.
Always make the effort to ensure your significant other that you care for them.
Figure out what makes him or her feel most loved, and be sure to do that. If your significant other needs verbal affirmations, make supplying that a priority! People experience love in different ways, and it’s important to be aware of this in a relationship.
Make sure your significant other knows what YOU need to feel valued.
If he or she isn’t willing to try to give it to you, you may have some serious things to talk about.
Most importantly, don’t compare your relationship to others.
No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. That relationship you envy because it seems perfect may actually be toxic in private, and the couple you are sure is going to break up might actually be one that will last. The only relationship you really know anything about is your own.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.