4 Ways to Better Connect with Your Partner
The daily grind is taking its toll on everyone’s relationship these days. There are so many stresses on our lives these days: economic uncertainty, higher pressure to deliver results and the constant connectivity due to cell phones and social media. All these elements are taking us away from sustaining and growing our most precious relationships. The Mental Health Association research shows us that positive relationship reduce the potential for anxiety and depression, potentially fueled by negative relationships
Here are four ways you can improve your relationship with your partner.
Put your phone away. Your cell phone is getting in the way of everything. If you want to make your partner feel like you’re a meaningful part of your life, commit to certain times of the day, particularly at night and during the weekends, to talk. Turn off your phones or place them in another room so that you’re not compelled to look at the screen or wonder what emailed popped up in your inbox or who posted what on X or Instagram. Focus on the other person and the conversation.
Set up date nights. This may sound old school, but this is one way you and your partner can find a time every week to catch up on each other, your family, your work, your emotions. But don’t let it become a session where you are just complaining about what’s wrong at work or with the kids. Use it as a time to relax, laugh and talk freely with each other in a comforting way. What should you do? Don’t over think this question. Go to dinner. Catch a concert. Take a long walk. Get your favorite food delivered to your house. If you have kids, hire a babysitter and let them know that “date night” is your night.
Leave love notes. Simple forms of written communication have been forgotten, replaced by text messages or posts on social media accounts. Buy some note paper. And every so often, leave a note sharing your love or thanking your partner for something they do or did. Place it on the kitchen countertop. Tape it to the bathroom mirror or tuck it in one of your partner’s clothing drawers.
Listen. Sounds simple, but how many times do you realize you “heard” the words of your partner, but you didn’t “listen” to what they were saying. What also complicates listening is the tendency to instantly judge someone on what they’re saying instead of taking a beat to listen carefully so that you understand what your partner is saying. You may not always agree, but if you are always judging the other person, you’re likely to cause your partner to be reluctant about sharing anything with you.