Creating Relationship Habits
couples know when their relationship is starving for attention! they know because their suffering reminds them. when a relationship is being neglected it is painfully noticeable that re-connecting emotionally and physically is a must.
but rather than waiting for a potential crisis, it is wiser to prevent one by creating relationship habits that prevent couples from slowly eroding. according to bryon remo, m.ed., lmft, “relationships need to be fed regularly to thrive.” many couples make the mistake of waiting until their relationship feels on the brink of collapse before reeling it back in. but remo states that couples need to “build in habits and rituals to provide the emotional muscle needed to weather future challenges.”
these habits need to include taking daily action to show we are serious about caring for our partner. one. way to begin is to develop regular weekly times to check in and take stock of how things are going and discuss what needs to be addressed so that issues don’t continue to linger and recycle moving forward.
another goood habit to consider is developing a relationship vision plan. this allows your relationship to keep dreaming and planning not simply regarding what you want to do as a couple but how you want to do it. this can include:
establishing some guidelines around how you want to commuicate better
ensuring that you have an effective plan to maintain trust
discussing both individual and coupleship needs
talking about barriers to your emotional & physical closeness
talking about finances preventatively
reviewing parenting methodologies
making sure you stay curious and avoid being reactive when you have oppossing opinions
couples therapy is often a good way to kick start healthy ideas and habits that can reignite and excite a couple’s closeness. relationship counseling is designed to help couples develop a plan that is easy and sustainable so that habits become sticky.
for more information on creating relationship closeness, feel free to check out my free relationship webinar and you are welcome to schedule a free initial phone consultation to answer any questions you may have.
