Relationships take a lot of work, especially when they develop into long-term relationships. If you’re looking for ways to make your long-term relationship last, this blog post is for you.
We’ve compiled 11 different strategies that will help you and your partner stay happy together without the added stress of fighting and bickering about small things all the time.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better idea of how to make your relationship last and what steps to take next.
Table of Contents
1) Communicate openly and often
It’s important to make sure that you and your partner aren’t keeping secrets. Keeping a relationship happy means letting go of the things that could potentially damage it, like holding back information because you’re afraid of how your partner might react.
Communicating about everything is key to having an open line of communication with each other. This allows for honest conversations without any tension or the need to walk on eggshells around one another.
It also helps both partners feel heard by the other, which can strengthen trust between them in many ways.
It can be helpful to set aside some time for your partner each day or week. This allows both of you the chance to discuss what’s going on in your lives, any struggles you might be having with one another, and anything else that comes up without it feeling like a big deal.
A lot of couples find they are able to work through problems much more easily when they have a foundation of open communication.
If either person feels as though their feelings aren’t being heard by their significant other, this could cause resentment that could later turn into anger over something trivial. That is why communicating often helps keep relationships happy in the long term.
2) Think about the small things you love about them
This one may seem a little silly, but it’s actually quite helpful! Think back to the very beginning of your relationship when you first started dating. How did you feel around this person? What were some things that made you fall in love with them more and more each day?
It can be easy to let those feelings wane over time if we aren’t reminded of why we loved our partner so much at the start of our relationship. It also helps us appreciate their qualities even more because they become less noticeable as time goes on.
Think about all these wonderful things often to remind you of how great they are and strengthen your bond again.
3) Support each other
Encourage your partner to pursue their passions. Even if you don’t share the same interests, find ways that you can support them in their pursuits. If they are passionate about something it is likely because they have put a lot of time and effort into developing these skills or honing this craft.
It’s nice when someone encourages us on our path toward success even though we might not always be able to see where it leads. That kind of encouragement goes a long way towards keeping relationships happy for years at a time.
If your significant other has an interest that doesn’t really appeal to you but seems meaningful enough to them, why not try learning more about it? It may become one of those little things that helps strengthen your bond with each other.
4) Don’t sweat the small stuff
It’s important to avoid letting small arguments escalate into something worse. Almost everyone has had that moment when they felt like their partner was being unfair or trying to control them in some way. But, if you take a step back for a minute and evaluate how bad the situation really is, it might not seem worth getting upset over!
If your significant other tries to tell you what to do every now and then (they probably don’t even realize it), try taking the advice with an open mind rather than shutting them down instantly.
It can be easy sometimes to dismiss our partners’ opinions because we’re tired of fighting about trivial things all the time.
However, just remember that these little disagreements are part of normal relationships too. They don’t always spell the end of your relationship as long as you avoid taking it to extremes.
5) Show love often
If you want your relationship to last for a long time, it’s important that each partner feels loved by the other!
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do grand gestures like expensive dinners or trips. Even just taking an extra second to tell them they look nice can go a long way towards keeping relationships fresh and exciting over time.
As humans, we all crave validation from the people who are closest to us. If someone feels as though their partner isn’t trying hard enough to make them happy in this sense, resentment will start creeping in again pretty quickly. Don’t let this happen between you two!
Make sure your significant other hears how much you care about them on a regular basis so that they never have any doubt about what is in your heart.
This includes going on weekly dates to keep the excitement and romance alive! You can make it fun by changing up the activity every time to keep things fresh.
6) Be self-sufficient
No one wants to date someone who is clingy and co-dependent! This can become especially burdensome if you are in a long-term relationship because there will be times when your significant other needs space.
It’s important that both partners have their own interests, friends, and hobbies so they don’t feel suffocated by each other.
Ask yourself: “Is my partner truly happier when I am around?” If they don’t look excited at the thought of seeing you soon after spending some time apart (even just an hour), then maybe it’s time to reevaluate.
Don’t be one of those people who has (or is!) a clingy partner – it will eventually lead to shortcomings for both of you. Don’t rely on them too much or totally depend on their support in order to feel like yourself, either.
Make sure that each person is self-sufficient enough so they can maintain their own interests while also being able to spend lots of quality time with the person they love most!
7) Have similar life goals
Nothing is worse than dating someone who has totally different life goals from you! The best relationships are those in which both partners want similar things for the future.
Don’t be afraid to share your dreams and vision for what your lives will look like someday. It can help make sure that they want the same thing too (at least on some level).
When people’s individual interests don’t match up, they tend to grow further apart until one of them either loses interest completely or just becomes unhappy with the relationship.
Why not avoid this situation by talking about how you both envision your life together? This conversation might seem scary at first, but it’s necessary if you really care about each other.
8) Agree about finances
It’s best to be on the same page when it comes to money in a relationship! Whether this means splitting everything down the middle or based on individual incomes, things will work as long as you are honest and straightforward with each other.
If you have had financial issues before, don’t pretend like they won’t come up again just because you love each other. Be open and communicative with each other so that neither partner feels financially or emotionally used by the other.
Money shouldn’t tear apart two people who truly care about one another, but it is important for everyone involved to have their needs met! Make sure that one partner isn’t taking advantage of the other and both parties feel balanced in the relationship.
Many couples have monthly budget discussions where they talk about their finances and see if they need to make any changes in order for both partners’ needs and wants to be met. This way, everyone is happy with the outcome.
9) Always respect your partner
No matter what happens in your relationship, you should always make sure to respect their thoughts and opinions.
Don’t be an a-hole who gets mad when your significant other doesn’t do everything that you want them to – this is immature and only leads to resentment.
If you truly love each other, then problems can be worked out through calm communication rather than getting angry and lashing out.
This is vital for a long-term relationship because it shows how much you mean to each other. Whether this means doing something nice or just listening when they need someone to talk with, let them know that their feelings are important so nothing goes wrong.
Respecting each other also includes not cheating on one another, even if things get tough at times. It takes more courage than anything else to be loyal no matter the circumstance, but will ultimately lead to success in the relationship.
Don’t let anyone else come between you and your partner. No one who can ever replace someone as special as them!
10) Be realistic about your relationship
It’s important to be realistic about the future of your relationship.
It’s okay if you don’t know exactly what will happen in a couple of years – or even next month! Not everything can be planned ahead of time; life sometimes gets in the way and throws us curveballs when we least expect it.
No relationship is perfect, and it’s important to know that when you go through bad times.
If you know that the relationship is worth it, then no matter how difficult things get, fight for what you believe in and don’t let anything stand in your way!
Try to stay as flexible as possible so that even if things don’t go according to plan, at least there is a way for the two of you to work through it together.
11) Forgive when you need to
The most important thing to remember in a long-term relationship is that you will make each other mad from time to time. It’s inevitable – no matter how much you love them – because everybody has different ideas and opinions about what should happen.
It might be hard at first to forgive one another for misunderstandings or mistakes, but don’t let anything come between the two of you. Let go of any anger or frustration so that nothing interferes with your individual and mutual happiness.
Even if there are some things left unsaid, however big or small those things may be, it’s better to let them go than to hold onto something that might hurt you both in the long run.
Conclusion
Remember what made this relationship so special at the beginning and try to recreate those moments as often as possible. You chose this partner for a reason, and you know what you are willing to fight for in the end. Set aside any differences and enjoy your life with this amazing individual.
