1. Date Night
We all are wired differently, but no matter who you are, I’m willing to bet you enjoy quality time with your partner. And chances are, they do too. 😉 Having a regular, consistent date night has ensured that Mike and I spend quality time together even in the midst of busy seasons. We highly recommend one date night each week. Date night for us may be dinner and a movie or game night at home or sippin’ coffee and walking around Target; other times it may be a bit more extravagant, like tickets to a concert or musical, a day trip out of town, or a fancy restaurant.
We often love spending evenings at home together because our home is a place of rest and relaxation. We’ve slowly added pieces of furniture and corners to our home that we love spending time in, whether that’s reading a great book or binge watching the latest show. No matter what we do, spending time together on a regular basis away from our schedules, work, and life, in general, helps keep us grounded and healthy.
2. Time Apart
This may sound counter-intuitive, but spending time apart allows some breathing room for your relationship and a chance to miss one another. It also allows each partner to spend time investing in their own friendships. It can be easy to enter into a new relationship and give all your energy to that person, but it’s healthy to maintain friendships outside of that. This may look like bi-weekly dinner parties or regular coffee meetups or a girls trip out of town. Whatever that looks like for you, don’t be afraid to make it a priority in your relationship.
Example: Mike loves having his friends over for game nights, so we’ve intentionally created a space in our home for board games, reading, and listening to vinyls. We love having time with friends that doesn’t involve screen time and allows us to be present and relax in our own home.
3. Learn Your Communication Habits
Learning and understanding both you and your partner’s communication habits are especially important for the health of your relationship. In times of miscommunication or hardship, knowing how to best communicate is crucial to moving forward and resolving a conflict. Mike and I often reflect on a disagreement after it’s been resolved so that we can better understand each other and their point of view. It can be helpful to evaluate the way you both communicate and talk about how to improve next time. It may sound silly, but the more you practice at disagreeing respectfully, the quicker a conflict can be resolved.
Mike and I highly recommend taking the Enneagram Test to learn more about who you are, who your partner is, and how to best communicate together.
4. Grow Together
A friend of mine recently shared a paraphrased quote she’d heard; it mentions we will have many relationships with the same person. Meaning, our relationships grow and change and we must be willing to grow and change with them. I thought this was incredibly profound in terms of communicating and the various seasons of life we experience. We will continue to grow in our communication skills, but only if we work at them. We will continue to grow in our love for our partner, but only if we strive to serve them and be the best version of ourselves. So my advice is this: when challenging circumstances come, cling to one another and lean in together, this is what brings you closer and stronger together. It’s how you grow together and make a relationship last.
If you found this post helpful, you may also love 5 Ways to Display Your Wedding Photos.
1. Date Night
We all are wired differently, but no matter who you are, I’m willing to bet you enjoy quality time with your partner. And chances are, they do too. 😉 Having a regular, consistent date night has ensured that Mike and I spend quality time together even in the midst of busy seasons. We highly recommend one date night each week. Date night for us may be dinner and a movie or game night at home or sippin’ coffee and walking around Target; other times it may be a bit more extravagant, like tickets to a concert or musical, a day trip out of town, or a fancy restaurant.
We often love spending evenings at home together because our home is a place of rest and relaxation. We’ve slowly added pieces of furniture and corners to our home that we love spending time in, whether that’s reading a great book or binge watching the latest show. No matter what we do, spending time together on a regular basis away from our schedules, work, and life, in general, helps keep us grounded and healthy.
2. Time Apart
This may sound counter-intuitive, but spending time apart allows some breathing room for your relationship and a chance to miss one another. It also allows each partner to spend time investing in their own friendships. It can be easy to enter into a new relationship and give all your energy to that person, but it’s healthy to maintain friendships outside of that. This may look like bi-weekly dinner parties or regular coffee meetups or a girls trip out of town. Whatever that looks like for you, don’t be afraid to make it a priority in your relationship.
Example: Mike loves having his friends over for game nights, so we’ve intentionally created a space in our home for board games, reading, and listening to vinyls. We love having time with friends that doesn’t involve screen time and allows us to be present and relax in our own home.
3. Learn Your Communication Habits
Learning and understanding both you and your partner’s communication habits are especially important for the health of your relationship. In times of miscommunication or hardship, knowing how to best communicate is crucial to moving forward and resolving a conflict. Mike and I often reflect on a disagreement after it’s been resolved so that we can better understand each other and their point of view. It can be helpful to evaluate the way you both communicate and talk about how to improve next time. It may sound silly, but the more you practice at disagreeing respectfully, the quicker a conflict can be resolved.
Mike and I highly recommend taking the Enneagram Test to learn more about who you are, who your partner is, and how to best communicate together.
4. Grow Together
A friend of mine recently shared a paraphrased quote she’d heard; it mentions we will have many relationships with the same person. Meaning, our relationships grow and change and we must be willing to grow and change with them. I thought this was incredibly profound in terms of communicating and the various seasons of life we experience. We will continue to grow in our communication skills, but only if we work at them. We will continue to grow in our love for our partner, but only if we strive to serve them and be the best version of ourselves. So my advice is this: when challenging circumstances come, cling to one another and lean in together, this is what brings you closer and stronger together. It’s how you grow together and make a relationship last.
If you found this post helpful, you may also love 5 Ways to Display Your Wedding Photos.
