If you’ve been married for any length of time, then you know how difficult it can be to keep things exciting and feeling fresh, especially as the years pass by. Too often we end up neglecting our partner, which is by far our most important relationship. When you throw kids into the mix, it can be almost impossible to find ways to connect. However, making small changes each day or week can end up resulting in big changes that allow your marriage to transform. If one of your goals for 2023 is to have a healthier marriage, keep reading to learn more about ways you can improve and transform your own marriage.
1. Work on Yourself
Are you as healthy as you can be? Do you feel vibrant? Do you wake up each morning happy to have your feet on the ground and a new day start? If not, then that should be your first priority. As they say on airplanes, you can’t put an oxygen mask on anyone else until you have your own one on and this applies to marriages too. If you’re not taking care of yourself, then there will be no space to take care of others. You can show yourself that you care about yourself with small changes, like healthy snacks for between meals, regularly working out and prioritising your own sleep and rest. Many people, especially women, feel selfish for prioritising themselves, but it’s almost essential to do so. I think that your relationships can only be as good as your relationship with yourself, so for that reason, it’s a great idea to prioritise it. Spend more time and energy focusing on the things in life that energise you, make you come alive, and bring you joy. Also, check out grapefruit oil for health, you might be surprised to learn about all the health benefits it has.
2. Consider Therapy
One of the biggest battles I see couples facing is their communication skills. It can be really hard to assert boundaries and navigate your sense of self, especially when in a marriage. If you’ve never tried couples therapy, you might be surprised to see how much progress you can make. Those reoccurring issues you can’t seem to make any progress on could be ironed out in a session or two. Having someone who is neutral and in the middle of you two can be a great way to find out a happy medium for both of you. Sometimes, especially when the conversations are really heated, it can feel impossible to find a solution that works for other parties involved. Also, because therapists are dealing with a lot more couples than just you two, they have proven strategies that can work well to help you move forward in your marriage. I actually suggest that everyone go to couples therapy before they marry, but if that’s not possible, there’s no better time than now to start.
3. Work on Your Intimacy
Life is busy, really busy, and one of the first things we can forget to do is really connect with our partners. If your sex life isn’t what you’d like it to be, then you should focus more on your intimacy outside the bedroom. There are plenty of ways you can improve your intimacy, but one way I’ve really enjoyed recently is by using this app called Agape. It gives you question prompts each day and you can only see your partner’s responses once you’ve filled in your own. This can be a great way to create more connections. Don’t neglect things in the bedroom, either. Having a healthy sex life is an important part of a marriage. You might be wondering, why don’t men moan during sex, but if that’s a thought that’s crossed your mind then you’re probably ready to explore new things together.
4. Do a Hobby Together
One of the best ways to move closer to each other in your marriage is to take up a hobby together. This could look like tennis, skiing, or even just running. If something physical doesn’t appeal, then it might be worthwhile looking to do something mentally stimulating together like reading books or learning something new. Having a hobby that you enjoy together can be great for your relationship, can be an excellent way to make new friends together and can help ensure things stay fresh. If you have children or high demand positions at work, your hobby can be the perfect way to come back together and have that quality time. If there’s always been something you’ve wanted to try, maybe suggest it to your spouse and see if they’d be interested in trying it with you!
Having a strong marriage makes life easier. You can feel more confident achieving your goals when you have a happy, stress free marriage. But a good marriage takes work, and I hope these four tips help inspire you to take your marriage to the next level.