Whenever you’re in conflict with someone,
there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging
your relationship and deepening it.
That factor is attitude.
Relationships grow and change over time, and that is a fact of life. Even if you have a great relationship, there may be times when you feel like your bond could be stronger.
Here are 5 tips to help fortify your partnership:
1. Support your partner. Although disagreement can be appropriate, do so with tact and love instead of fighting. Always remember to speak the truth in love, with an eye toward reconciliation. Let your differences of opinion lead to discussions that help you understand each other better rather than push you further apart. These types of honest discussions reinforce the love and respect you have for each other.
2. Let go of past hurts. Learn to leave past hurts where they belong, in the past. If you’ve been holding on to emotional pain related to your current partner or even a previous one, let it go. Keeping the hurt inside can stifle the love and affection you want to flow freely in your current relationship.
If the pain results from your current partner’s actions, resolve the past situation so you can let go of that pain and move forward with your relationship. Letting go of past hurts allow you to feel freer to love and be close to your partner.
3. Try something new. If you want to truly connect with your partner, embrace the activities that they love to do. Even though this particular pastime may not be your cup of tea, show an earnest willingness to engage in their beloved activities with them.
For example, if your partner invites you to go to an NFL game, you don’t have to be a football fan to go and enjoy yourself. Look at it this way: you’ll be there to share something really special with your love. He’ll be thrilled to have you there and will most likely recognize the sacrifice you made to share the experience with him.
4. Drop the need to be right every time, all the time. Winning arguments with your partner is overrated. Insisting that the other person agree that you’re right and they’re wrong does nothing to increase positive feelings or strengthen the bond between you.
Try focusing, instead, on accepting that there will be times when you might be correct and other times when he’s the one who’s right. Sometimes, these situations can be better resolved by sorting out how you each feel so you can find a middle ground that can bring you closer together rather than determining who’s right or wrong.
5. Celebrate differences. Allow yourself to once again experience the passion that brought you into the relationship. You have a responsibility to keep the flame going, which reinforces your connection. One way to do that is to truly embrace the ways in which you are different.
There are so many wonderful opportunities to ensure your partnership continues to blossom and grow stronger. Use these tips as starting points or inspiration to help cultivate your cherished relationship and watch it thrive under your careful tending.
Thoughts?
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmwphotography/5641165167/sizes/m/in/photostream/
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