8 Ways To Strengthen Your Relationship And Be A Better Partner

Harmonious, happy, successful relationships don’t just happen. Romantic relationships of this kind are those that are worked on. Those that both partners put an equal amount of time, energy, and effort in.

Relationships are dynamic and they reflect everything that both partners experience. Due to all the changes and struggles couples are faced with, relationships need to be based on a firm foundation. Otherwise, they might not withstand the pressure and easily fall apart.

So, how can you ensure your relationship is built on a solid foundation?

Well, there are two things you need to remember. The first one is that relationships require constant attention and care in order to thrive. And the second one is that the healthiest and happiest relationships have partners who regularly evaluate their contributions to their relationship.

They make sure they make a change when their relationship hits a rough patch, and they try to identify how their beliefs, habits, and behaviors affect the quality of not only their everyday communication but their relationship as well.

And most importantly, they’re willing to change parts of their personalities if they know this will benefit the health of the relationship and promote its growth.

Here are 8 ways to strengthen your relationship and be a better partner:

1. Focus on your annoying habits, not your partner’s.

We all have quirks and irritating habits. So, your partner probably does a lot of things that get on your nerves: leaving wet towels on the floor, making a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, or snoring.

But have you ever thought about the things that you do that annoy your partner? Well, if you haven’t, know that you should often do this. Because it is these seemingly unimportant annoying things that can create tension and bring about conflict in the relationship.

2. Leave your baggage out of the relationship.

We all carry burdens of our past. We’ve all made mistakes, failed, and experienced heartbreak. We’ve all been through problems and pain. In one word, we have all suffered.

However, the burden you carry can sometimes prevent you from maintaining and strengthening your present and future relationships. 

Therefore, you need to make sure you leave your baggage in the past and start afresh.

3. Give your partner your undivided attention.

No matter how busy your day is and how many daily responsibilities you need to take care of, make sure you spend good quality time with your partner. And when they’re sharing their worries and problems with you, or just telling you how their day was, make sure you’re really present there and that you’re actively listening to them.

Let them know you care about them and about what they have to say. Let them know that spending time with them is not just one of your daily obligations, but it’s something you enjoy doing.

4. Don’t complain, solve your problems instead.

Complaining about your personal or relationship problems won’t make them go away or make you feel better. So, instead of always whining and creating stress in the relationship, try to recognize and better understand the thing you’re complaining about and then think of ways you can change it.

Whether you’ll ask for someone’s help or repeat positive statements, just make sure you do something about the things that bother you and avoid creating stress in your own and your partner’s life.

5. Control your reactions.

Yes, you have the right to be sad, frustrated, angry, or mad when you argue with your partner. And you have the right to express your emotions. But you need to make sure that you don’t let your strong, negative emotions affect your actions or decisions and that you don’t take your anger and frustration out on your partner.

You need to control your reactions because no matter how sad or angry you feel, no one should put up with your emotional outbursts, yelling, or drama.

6. Try to understand your partner’s side of the story.

When we disagree with our partner, it’s a natural reaction to stick to our side of the story and search for enough evidence to support our point of view as well as prove that the other person is wrong.

But have you ever tried to switch sides and support your partner’s side of the story? You might be surprised, but this is how couples often solve their disagreements. The thing is that the more you concentrate on and try to understand your partner’s point of view, the more validity you find in their opinion.

And when you approach the disagreements in your relationship this way, you get to see how selfish, stubborn, and inconsiderate we can sometimes be.

7. Provide favors.

Do not only ask for them. Of course, you shouldn’t feel ashamed or hesitant to ask your partner for a favor, but if you’re never willing to provide one yourself, you can be sure that this will only create negative feelings in the relationship and prevent you from establishing a good rapport.

So, make sure you do something nice for your partner every day. And it doesn’t have to be anything big. Make them breakfast in bed, give them a 5-minute back massage, or just tell them ‘thank you’ when they do something nice for you.

This will certainly make you the best partner, you can take my word for it.

8. Last but not least, get enough sleep.

We all know how edgy, grumpy and sensitive we get when we don’t get enough sleep. We can’t act properly, we make unwise decisions, and we overreact – yes, we do all the things that can cause tension and conflict in a relationship.

On the other hand, when you’re rested, you’re able to think straight and you have better control over both your emotions and reactions.