I say it all the time: I’m the single friend that’s always giving bomb relationship advice. No doubt, I had good role models growing up, in addition to a lot of friends with relationship issues. Needless to say, over the years, I’ve learned a lot about love. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you have to nourish and feed love in order to keep it healthy and a live. Yes, it’s going to take effort and more compromise than you could ever imagine outside of the wedding day.
You might already know this, and you may also know ways to go about this; however, if your asking yourself how, or just want to get creative, then this is where I come in. I’ve created a list of things that you should always keep in mind, as well as things you can do, in order to keep your love strong.
How to keep your love strong | strong marriage tips
1. KEEP DOING THINGS TOGETHER:
One of the easiest ways is to continue to do what’s already working. It’s not always easy though. The work lives of a working family are becoming more demanding year after year. Leaving you with less and less time to spend time with each other. Thus, you have to make it a priority: you have to section out times of your weeks to go on dates together. It can be as simple as going to a movie, in addition to something complex like a yearly vacation. It doesn’t have to be far, it could be to the state next to you, or even the city. The key is to always find time for each other, and do things big and small like you would during your dating phase.
2.SUBMIT TO EACH OTHER FOR THE GREATER GOOD:
There are going to be disagreements at some point. From the smallest things to the bigger things, the both of you will not agree on everything. Therefore, it’s important to put yourself in the other persons shoes consistently. Understand that their feelings are just as valid as yours, and always try to understand why they might feel that way. In addition to empathy, you must also submit to each other for the greater good. I know, it sounds barbaric in todays society. Swallowing your pride is an art that has been equated to weakness in todays society. But it’s not. You two are a unit: you’ve brought your lives together, and more importantly to took an oath. Always submit when possible for the greater good and work out situations together instead of it being a one person show. This is a duet, not a solo.
3. DON’T EXPECT PERFECT:
Letting go of unrealistic expectations is the best thing you can do for your love. We are not perfect; therefore, expecting perfect is setting yourself up for failure. Don’t get me wrong, we do it to ourselves. We watch all of these romance movies at one point or another, and they all see to have that perfect story with the perfect ending. But that’s a fantasy that I believe has tainted our idea of love. You see, love isn’t about the perfect match and life, it’s about making imperfect perfect. It’s about learning to love someones flaws in addition to seeing past them, and recognizing the person that is on the inside.
4. CULTIVATE AND NOURISH YOUR FRIENDSHIP:
You know the saying you’re marrying your best friend? Well, it’s right. Marriage is nothing more than taking your friendship to the next level, and promising that the only person you will share this type of bond with is essentially your family: for you’re making this person part of your family. My point is, you have to nourish that friendship in order for it to grow. We all have the one friend who we used to talk to all the time but then for some reason or another we stopped communicating. Regardless of if it was intentional or unintentional, it was still a choice. And, now if you were to see that person again, you may not know them as well as you used too. Love is no different friends. You have to nourish your friendship with that person. Getting to know what they like, all the secrets they hold, and continuously breaking down walls. By doing this, you’re bond will continue to grow not only deeper, but also stronger.
5. CONTINUE TO SHOW AFFECTION:
We all think of affection as a physical, and while physical displays of affection are nice, they are also often time expected. At some point kissing becomes the norm, which isn’t a bad thing; however, a little spice never hurt anything. Random displays of affection are always a nice way to keep your love strong. It can be a simple as surprising your significant other at their lunch break for lunch reservations or date that you planned secretly. Get creative and think outside of the box: send flowers to their job or even an edible arrangement. Sneak love letters into their bag that they will find once they get to work.
At the end of the day, you can read article after article on how to keep your love healthy and strong; however, the only thing that matters is that love is a CHOICE. You either choose to love or you don’t. You have to make sure that loving one another is your upmost priority, otherwise all these things will be in vein. No article or book can make that decision for you.
I hope this blog post helps in all of your endeavors together.
Live. Love. Laugh.
Sid.
