Each January brings about an opportunity to change our bodies, our lives, our priorities, but we seem to forget about our relationships. Keeping your relationship on track, especially while planning a wedding or being newlyweds, is important for building a strong foundation for your future.
Here are some fun relationship resolution ideas to get you started.
1. Go to bed at the same time. I know this can be hard every night, but shoot for at least one night a week. Cuddle, watch a movie, read together, flirt, or have some sex. It’s always a good way to reconnect after a long day or hectic week.
2. Schedule intentional time with your partner. Intentional time together is time you specifically set aside to reconnect and work on your relationship. Try to schedule at least 1 hour of intentional time every week.
3. Make a commitment to fight better. A really good trick for communicating and handling conflict better is to focus on how you want your partner to feel at the end of an argument, and then behave in a way that reflects those goals. (i.e. “I want my partner to feel respected, loved and heard, even though we’re upset with one another.”)
4. Take a break from wedding planning and go on a date. While making wedding decisions is important, other aspects of your relationship tend to get forgotten about once you get engaged. Remember that your partner needs love, affection, sex, and attention, just as much as you need items off your checklist.
5. Focus on your partner’s Love Language and honor it. If you don’t know what your Love Languages are, head over to 5lovelanguages.com and take a short quiz to learn how to better meet your partner’s needs.
6. Create mandatory no-phone/no-technology time every day. If you panicked just reading this, start here! While you may think you’re a great listener and can multitask with the best of them, it is literally impossible to listen and hear your partner intently while your brain is occupied with another activity. Put down the phones (even if it’s just 10-15 minutes to check in at the end of your day) and make a conscious effort to be more present in your relationship.
If this feels overwhelming, don’t worry, that’s normal. Pick just one of these ideas, or create your own, and make your best effort to stick to it.