Improving Your Relationship After a Tough Year
All relationships have their ups and downs. Often, when something significant has happened, or when we’re stressed out and tired, we take things out on our partners, and tensions start to creep into our relationships. Sometimes, nothing has happened. We’re just not quite on the same page.
It’s fair to say that 2020 has been hard on many couples. You might have spent a lot more time than usual living in each other’s pockets if your area has been in a lockdown. You might have been worried about your family’s health and well-being, your children, or family members outside of your household. As a partnership or individually, you may have been worried about job security and money. It’s been a year of uncertainty, and it’s no surprise that many relationships are on the rocks.
If things aren’t great at home, first, know that you certainly aren’t alone. Marriages, relationships, and even friendships have been pushed to their limits by this pandemic. Then, look at some ways that you can get things back to normal.
Get Some Help
While it would be lovely to get back to normal on our own, it’s not always possible. If you and your partner aren’t connecting or have a specific problem and need help from sex therapists, you should consider couples counseling, which can be very useful.
Spend Some Quality Time Together
This year, you might have spent more time with your partner than ever before. But, was it quality time? Or, was it time spent taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, stressing about your jobs, or worrying about the world? We’ve been with the people that live in our household all of the time, without actually giving them our attention.
Plan a date night, or go for a walk on your own together. Spend quality time together away from the distractions of real life.
Commit to Self-Care
You can’t be happy with your partner if you aren’t happy with yourself. This has been a stressful time for your relationship, but it’s been hard on you as an individual too. Treat yourself, take some time out for yourself, and commit to self-care.
Make a Plan
Making plans with our partners is exciting. It’s nice to have something to look forward to and to get excited about. This year it’s felt like we can’t make plans because we don’t know if they’ll be canceled. Making even a very loose plan, with no firm commitments can help things to feel more natural.
Get into the Habit of Appreciating Each Other
Over time we start to take the people that we love the most for granted. It’s normal, but it can begin to affect. Start making an effort to be appreciative. Say thank you, do small things for each other, and pay each other compliments.
When we’re young, we often assume that when we meet “the one,” it will be easy. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Relationships always take work, but even more so after a trying time such as this.
