Couples usually want their relationship to work. But often it doesn’t. People get divorced or break up. Often, these come down to the same mistakes that couples make over and over again.
Let’s explore these common mistakes and what to do instead to ensure that your relationship is thriving as much as it can.
Prioritize each other
The mistake: Many couples fail to prioritize each other. They give more time and space and energy to their work or their families or other relationship.
The solution: When two people come together as a couple, they need to show it. You might not always be able to prioritize your partner over yourself and other people, but you should be able to make this choice a lot of the time.
You need to prioritize spending time with your partner and helping them. This will help your relationship grow stronger and become successful over time, as you are frequently showing your partner that you care for them and choose them.
Learn what triggers negative emotions
The mistake: the couple doesn’t pay attention to their worst pet peeves and constantly trigger anger in each other.
The solution: each partner is mindful of the things that are especially maddening to the other person or that evoke strong negative emotions.
We all have triggers: things that evoke strong emotions and are not always rational. It’s useful for us to control these triggers and learn to work with them, but sometimes we find topics that are too sensitive.
It’s important for couples to be mindful of these triggers and take them into account to avoid treading on the other person’s toes. We should be more careful when dealing with sensitive spots. We might hold back a bit more and consider the other person’s feelings to avoid creating emotionally charged situations when these can be avoided.
Solve issues quickly
The mistake: couples let problems fester and grow larger.
The solution: couples try to address the issues that they face quickly.
It’s important to talk about fights after they happen and address discussions or conflicts in a constructive manner. When something causes a fight, when both partners are calm, they should try to discuss what happened and what they can do to prevent such conflicts from occurring again.
A good strategy is to try to hash things out before going to bed, but it’s not always possible. That is not a problem. The couple, however, should not ignore this issue or put off dealing with it just because it can feel awkward.
Addressing problems in a timely manner can avoid a lot of problems and provide a way to work through problems effectively without letting them grow and fester.
Do new things together
The mistake: the couple becomes stuck in a routine that grows stale after a while.
The solution: the couple do new things together to strengthen their relationship.
A couple can really improve their relationship by doing new things. New experiences can bring excitement and fun, they can inject more energy and offer a different way for a couple to get to know each other and share things that they did not share before.
Learn from old mistakes
The mistake: repeating the same thing over and over, expecting different results.
The solution: learn from what happens to do better next time.
This is a more general solution but also one that should help couples. We can’t expect to get different results when we do things in the same way as before. If nagging our partner didn’t work, we should not try nagging harder. If one solution proved to be erroneous, there is no point in trying to apply it to the same situation again.
Instead, you can try looking for new strategies. Work on new ways to communicate your issues and solve problems. Don’t stay with strategies that have been proven ineffective. You can look for advice on what strategies to employ online, from relationship experts, and more. There are plenty of ideas out there to explore.
Overall, being aware of the main issues that you might face in your relationship can help you prepare and build a solid foundation. When you face an eventuality, you can look for strategies that will help you.
