Whether you are dating, engaged, newly married or have been together for years, have you ever wondered what is the secret to making your relationship happy and healthy? How do you balance all aspects of your busy life and still maintain a good relationship with your partner? Is there a way to keep the connection that you have with your significant other as strong as it was when you first met?
The key to a successful relationship is in spending quality time together. It may sound obvious, but there are two distinct and equally important aspects to quality time – the quality and the time. Let’s explore both parts in detail.
The quality
A quality experience is one that includes you and your partner, face-to-face, doing something that you both enjoy. You want to be sure to put aside any and all distractions, like cell phones and email, and just focus on each other. The focus is on connecting and communicating in a meaningful way.
Quality doesn’t have to mean expensive. You don’t have to spend lots of money dining at a fancy restaurant, rather something simple like preparing and eating dinner at home is an excellent way to carve out time together. Other options include going jogging, taking a cooking class or playing a board game together. So long as you are side by side, talking and sharing a pleasurable experience, then you are doing it right.
The time
You’ve heard the advice that a weekly date night is imperative to keeping the spark alive in any relationship. I completely agree, but would push the envelope further to say that a “nightly” date night is needed for a successful relationship. Your partner is someone you love and care for, so why would you limit your bonding time to one night per week?
You lead a busy life full of responsibilities that pull you in many different directions. Who has the time for a *nightly* date night? Anyone who wants to have a good relationship does. If you can spend eight or more hours at work each day, then you can surely find an hour or two to spend with person in the world that you love most. If finding this time is a challenge, you may need to reevaluate your priorities in life.
How do you measure up?
Reflect on your current relationship. Do you spend time together on a daily basis? If you can’t physically be together, do you at least talk on the phone or Skype? When you are with your partner are you engaged and openly communicating with each other? Are interruptions kept to a minimum? Your relationship will be on solid footing if you make sure that you share quality time with your partner each and every single day.
Image: flickr
