All relationships face challenges and that’s a fact. Relationships take effort and are not perfect. So, rather than aiming for perfection and expecting a dream relationship, work on finding solutions to the problems that you have. But, of course, that’s often easier said than done.
To get you started in the right direction, below is a mini guide and links to past posts with some of the best steps you can take to keep your relationship on the right track for a long time to come yet.
A. Talk About it Together
Communication is important, and without it, you have nothing. Therefore, the first thing to get into the habit of doing is talking about the things you’re experiencing and the difficulties you’re having. But don’t just bring the problems. Bring ideas for solutions, as well.
Because, let’s face it. You’re a team.
If you’re both silent about your problems, how can you move forward successfully? You truly won’t know what’s concerning each other or where the problems lie.
B. Try to Support One Another
Supporting one another is a big part of beating those challenges together as a team. So, if you’re able to offer each other real support, you’ll grow closer and avoid the drifting apart effect that often takes place in relationships.
You may appreciate reading 12 Ways to Care for Someone When They’ve Lost Someone. In the post, I explained the love and support I received during one of the most difficult times in my life.
More often than none, problems in a relationship can often lead to a breakdown in communication and then you both end up feeling like you’re not getting the support you need from the other person, which isn’t good. But if you communicate, you are allowing the other person the opportunity to support you the best way they know how.
C. Learn How to Forgive
In life, we all need to learn the power of forgiveness and get better at it. If we don’t, problems will simply fester and become more problematic going forward.
With that being said, if we want successful relationships, we simply cannot hold on to grudges expecting a lasting and successful relationship. Instead, we need to learn to forgive, which includes both parties involved; forgiveness towards the other person and yourself, as well.
D. Remember That It’s Not About Winning and Losing
Again, you are a team.
So, when facing your problems, communicate, don’t argue. Because if you argue, there is already a breakdown of communication and you both lose.
How do you win in this? You don’t.
When you are ready, jump on over to my review of Keep Showing Up for Your Relationship. I learned so many relationship tips in this book. It’s definitely worth the read.
E. Take Practical Steps When Faced with a Challenge
If there’s a specific problem that you and your partner are up against, you should try to approach it in a practical way. For example, a couple facing problems with getting pregnant should see top fertility doctors rather than letting the problem come between them.
There are practical solutions that can be applied to just about every situation and scenario. But people often fall into bad habits and turn on each other rather than taking reasonable steps necessary to deal with things correctly.
F. Don’t Fall Into the Trap of Protecting Via Secrets
People often make the mistake of thinking that they’re protecting their partner when they lie to them, but that’s not really true. Secrets and lies lead to problems in most circumstances.
It might seem like keeping things from them will help in the short-term, but it won’t help over the long-term. In short, simply be honest. Because without trust, you have nothing.
G. Don’t Take Out Frustrations on One Another
When things are not going great in your relationship, it becomes very easy for you and your partner to take things out on each other. This might seem to make sense in the heat of the moment, but it only extends the problems you’re going through.
When you’re frustrated about something, talk to each other about it and go out of your way to try and stay calm about things.
When you’re willing to do that, you’ll deal with situations much better than you might have thought possible previously.
H. Be Positive
Be intentionally positive and avoid being negative.
Negativity can be infectious and it can start to become a problem in its own right. If you’re serious about making things work, you need to ditch the negative thoughts and get to work in a positive and productive way in order to overcome your problems.
A positive approach to handle this would be to create your own Book of Positive Aspects for your relationship. Each day write about your relationship in only a positive manner and watch how drastically your relationship changes.
Thoughts are things. And, with this approach, your are shifting your thoughts.
I. Stay Calm
Being able to control your emotions is so important in a relationship.
Notice? I wrote, control. Not hide.
Staying calm is one of the most underrated aspects of dealing with problems in your relationship. If you can maintain a calm demeanor, you’ll get much more out of the process because you’ll talk to each other like adults and work through problems together.
Final Thoughts
Again, all relationships face challenges and that’s a fact. Relationships clearly take a tremendous amount of effort and are not perfect. However, using the mini guide and resources in this post will definitely put you on the right track to ultimately creating a winning and lasting team between the two of you.
