Starting a relationship is always fun and exciting, but making a relationship last is hard work. Once you’ve gotten settled in your relationship, you have to maintain an honest flow of communication and to continue to cherish your time with your loved one. Making a relationship last isn’t always fun, but the benefits of maintaining a long-term and committed relationship far outweigh the difficulties that you may face. If you want to know how to make your relationship last, just follow these tips.
Make time for romance. Though “date night” may sound forced, you and your special someone should aim to have a date night at least once a week, if not more often. You don’t have to call it “date night” if that sounds too cheesy, but you should make a goal to spend some quality time together without anyone else around at least one night a week.
Make love at least once a week. You don’t have to plug this into your calendar, and hopefully you won’t have to, but you should make a conscious effort to make love at least one a week, no matter how tired you feel after work, or how much you have going on that week.
Make time to talk. Though your schedules may get crazy, you need to make a concerted effort to talk to each other every day, no matter how much work you have to do. You can set aside time to talk during dinner, or to talk over the phone if your loved one is away.
Be honest with each other. Honesty is the key to any long-lasting relationship. To keep your relationship strong, you should be able to be open and honest with your special someone. You should be able to share your most intimate thoughts and feelings with your loved one, or you’re not really communicating.
Learn to compromise. In any strong relationship, being happy should be more important than being right. If you want your relationship to last, then you should learn how to make decisions with your loved one, and to find a way for both of you to be happy with the decisions, or to take turns giving in to each other.
Learn to say you’re sorry. This is an important point. If you want to be in a long-lasting relationship, then you absolutely have to learn how to say you’re sorry from time to time. When it comes to a relationship, admitting you’re sorry is much more important than being stubborn.
Tell your loved one how much he means to you. Don’t ever forget to say “I love you” and take your feelings for granted. You should tell your loved one that you love him every single day—multiple times a day, if you can. Remember that there’s a difference between “love you” and “I love you”—you should really mean it when you say it.
Find new interests to pursue together. A relationship is like a shark—if it doesn’t move forward, it dies. You should find ways of keeping your relationship fresh so your love doesn’t become just a part of your routine. One way of doing this is to find new interests that you can pursue together, so you have something to be excited about as well as a shared passion.
Keep it fresh in the bedroom. If you want to maintain a healthy relationship, then you have to maintain a healthy sex life. Though your lovemaking may not be what it was in the beginning after five years together, you should still try new things in the bedroom so you’re still excited about making love with your partner and that everything you do still feels like an adventure.
Take trip to a new place together. Though a vacation isn’t a good long-term solution to any relationship problems, taking a trip together can help take you out of your same old perspective and appreciate your love in a new way. Plus, planning a trip together will give you something new to look forward to.
