Relationships are not perfect. There are two people involved who will be going through their own challenges, and they often come up in relationships too. Challenging times are perfectly normal. It is how you both respond that makes a difference.
Challenges in a relationship can arise for several reasons. It could be that some life stressors and external pressures are being put on a partner or both of you. This might be big life changes like financial difficulty, moving house, job issues or changes, mental health struggles, and more. No relationship is exempt from these life struggles. Unfortunately, they can put a strain on a relationship and make it challenging.
Other challenges may arise, such as not growing apart, not working together as a team, not making quality time for each other, not speaking kindly to each other, and more.
These kinds of issues can make it seem like there are compatibility issues in a relationship. You may also find that your parenting, sex life, finances, happiness, lifestyle, sleep, romance, and more start to become impacted.
This can be hard for both partners involved, as well as the children in the house. To help you navigate these challenges and this difficult time, here are some top tips.
Open up space for conversations
It is really important to not play games with each other and instead, show some compassion for your partner. You got together for a reason, so you must remember that. Show your spouse some love and care, and open up a space for conversations. When you do this, with care and kindness, you might find that the dynamic starts to shift. Your spouse might open up to you, which means you may gain a better understanding of what they are going through and why the relationship is dealing with so many challenges. Hopefully, they offer the same space for you. Make sure you are a safe person for them to be around. Things like this take time, and trust needs to be rebuilt. Make sure you are consistent and kind. Give it some time and keep showing your partner that you are there for them when they are ready to talk. This is a really important dynamic to have in a relationship.
Make time for quality time together
Quality time is really important for a successful relationship. It is often the first thing that goes when relationships get serious. They are filled with quality time together at first, but then as you get married, have pets, have children, buy a house, have a full-time job, and other commitments that take up your mental and physical capacity, it stops. This is a real shame and can negatively impact a relationship. Unfortunately, it happens to them all. The good thing is, it can easily be changed. Once you have identified that this may be one of your issues, then you can take steps to change that. It isn’t always as easy as going out for the day, going on a date night, or booking a holiday. But if you can do any of those things then you should. If you can’t, then think about how you can create smaller moments together at home. This might be putting your phones away at night and watching a film together after the kids have gone to bed, or having a morning coffee together in the garden. Maybe you could meet your partner on their lunch break. The opportunities to create quality time together are endless.
Celebrate wins together
It is really easy to constantly focus on the negatives within a relationship, especially when there is an issue or a conflict. While you might not be able to stop the negative things arising in your relationship, you can choose how you respond. Give less energy to the negative things in your relationship and give more energy to the positive things. If one of you has some positive news or has done something good, then make sure you acknowledge it with enthusiasm and celebration. Show interest in your partner’s life, believe in them, and be their cheerleader. This can help shift the dynamic to be more positive and help you develop a stronger bond together.
Work as a team
Teamwork is really important when you are in a relationship. That is what you signed up to be. You chose to be life partners, so you must act like it. These might be things in life, whether it is something you are pondering or wanting to try or change, then consider your partner in the equation. Ask them for their opinion and discuss it together, especially if it will impact your relationship.
The same should be applied to conflicts. You might not have the same opinions or agree on everything, and that’s okay. But you should learn to have conversations and work on resolving issues as a team if you want to have a future together. When conflict arises, take a breather, find out what each other needs and brainstorm ideas to help you get through it.
Reconsider your relationship and suitability
You should always try within your relationship and not just give up. But there are going to be times when nothing works, you have grown into different people, you want different things, you have met someone else, the relationship is toxic, or you just want it to end. This is sad but it is a reality for some people and it is important to consider. Make sure you have a conversation about this with your partner. When there are children in the mix, you need to consider how it is going to impact their lives and what you can do to soften the blow. Learn more about the divorce process, and legal and physical custody when it comes to your children. It is really important to be prepared and have a plan in place to make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone.
Navigating relationship issues is very difficult. Follow these top tips to help you and your partner on your journey.
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