The spark is something that most couples strive to keep alive. It is the little things that make the relationship special and memorable. It can be anything from a good night’s sleep to a morning kiss, or even just eye contact.
There are ways to maintain your long-term relationship strong. After years of being together, it can be hard to keep the spark alive.
1. Make sure that you stay present
The daily hustle and bustle of our lives can tire us out and take a toll on our relationship. Even if you see your husband every night, you might not be giving him enough attention once you come home from work. Consequently, the two of you could start drifting away from each other if you don’t both make some changes.
However, the key to every relationship is communication, so make sure that when you’re with your partner, you stay present.
Pay attention to the small needs and desires he mentions. Your partner will be grateful that you remembered them!
2. Don’t Blame Your Partner
Frustration begins to fester when your physical and emotional needs are not met. Often, instead of working together as a team to discover what lies at the heart of intimacy issues, destructive emotions such as blame and guilt hurt the relationship. It is easier to point the finger at your partner than to question how you contribute to the problem. When you start blaming each other, reclaiming your passion for one another becomes even harder. Remember: Intimacy is a collective experience shared by partners, not individuals.
3. Being adventurous
One of the best parts about being in a relationship is discovering the world through another person’s eyes. If this person is animated by a sense of adventure, if they know how to make you leave your fears behind and how to make your world larger and richer, your relationship can hardly become boring.
4. Initiate Intimacy
It’s important to make your partner feel desirable. Unfortunately, I’ve seen people have difficulty initiating physical affection and intimacy with their partners either because of unresolved anger or out of fear of being rejected. The problem here is that this prevents them from putting energy and effort into this important area of their partnership. You want to keep the relationship “alive” by making sure your partner feels desired by you. Initiating intimacy reminds your partner that you are attracted to them and want to feel close and connected.
5. Being passionate about their work
Being totally caught up in their work, being excited about topics that are indifferent to others can show you their capacity for passion in general and this can only be a good omen for your relationship.
