8 Secrets For A Happy Relationship
When we think of something that nourishes us, our minds usually go straight to food. However, what we really should be thinking about are what we, at Nourish Live Flow like to call, our Primary Nourishers – our relationships, career, physical activity and spirituality. These are so important for our body and soul as they are the areas in our life that make us feel good, happy, loved, taken care of, successful, abundant, energetic, healthy, connected and grounded.
In my mind, relationships are undoubtedly the most complicated and challenging of the bunch. We all want a happy relationship right? But how do we get there? Between work, kids, getting to the gym, seeing friends and family and Netflix (the nightly binge), where do we find the time to devote to our relationship? Luckily for us all, it’s surprisingly easy. By following these 5 secrets for a happy relationship, we can all find a little (or a lot) more joy in ours.
Practice self-love first
We’ve all heard the message time and time again about how important it is to love ourselves. Loving ourselves not only can make us feel better individually, but it can also help our relationships become more loving. If you take time to love yourself, practice self-care, be kind to yourself, then you are more able to feel and show love to others.
Re-write your love story
Relationships aren’t perfect. So stop thinking that yours should be. Love is not about being happy all of the time and never arguing. That, unfortunately, is just not realistic. So, give yourself permission to be happy in your relationship, even though it isn’t perfect.
Stop comparing your relationships to others
Social media (although we love it) has created a false conception that every relationship (except our own of course) is blissfully enjoying happily ever after. Try your very best to not buy into this! We all show our best days, moments and experiences on social media but remember that these are just glimpses into our friends lives, and not the entire picture. Be happy for your friends and all the amazing things happening in their worlds, but also see the incredible things happening in your life and your relationship. And be grateful for these.
Do something together often (that you both love)
Watch Netflix, take a nice walk, hit a yoga class, go for dinner, enjoy a glass of wine or just cuddle at home and chat. These are all things that you can do together and they don’t take up too much time each week. Spending a few hours each week doing something together that you both love will work wonders for your relationship.
Make room for “separate time”
Relationships definitely need “together time” but equally important is giving each other "separate time” to go and enjoy things that make you each happy independently. I don’t know about you, but I love to have dates with my girlfriends (or weekend girl trips!) and my husband definitely needs his weekends away golfing with the boys. When we give each other space to do the things we love then we have more space when we return for each other.
Take a trip together
Planning a getaway with your partner is one of the best ways to reconnect. It doesn’t need to be a week long trip to Paris either (although that would be nice!). Even a quick getaway to your fav spa or hotel (sans kids!) counts and can do wonders for your connection.
Do your best to leave the negative at the door
The energy that we bring into any room affects each person in that room. So, even if you have had the worst day possible, try your very best to take 5 deep breaths, let it go, and walk into the house at the end of the day with a positive mindset. That positive energy will then flow into each person in that house and make them feel happy and loved.
Compliment each other often
We all love to be told nice things about ourselves. Simply put, it just makes us feel good about ourselves and also reminds us that our partner still thinks we are attractive. So make a habit out of telling your partner something you like about them everyday and it will do wonders for the health and happiness of your relationship.
→ If you are looking for other healthy living tips, check out The 5 Best Cold-Pressed Juice Spots In And Around Toronto