Love is a beautiful thing, and when you finally find that one soulmate who understands and sees the good beyond your flaws, life just starts to click, and you lose yourself in the music of bliss. For others, love acts as a source of motivation and the fuel for their burning passion, helping them stand strong and resolute in the face of challenges, regardless of how hard things get or how difficult the situation turns out.
But, despite how beautiful and poetic love can be, relationships don’t go through the same fairytale endings most cliche films spin their stories around. Even relationships go through their bad times, and what defines the strength of their love for each other is their ability to understand, compromise, and provide reassurance.
However, it all starts with recognizing your own mistakes and understanding that, sometimes, you might be causing the problem in the first place.
Nobody’s Perfect, No Matter How Hard You Try
Look, we’re not telling you to put all the blame on yourself; that’s just downright unhealthy and can lead to even more serious problems affecting your mental well-being. But, it is important that we understand nobody is ever perfect, and no matter how hard you try, even the people we admire the most aren’t exempt from mistakes. Plus, dwelling too much on the idea of perfectionism leads to an increased risk of burnout, which is a self-defeating strategy altogether.
At the end of the day, a few slip-ups here and there are bound to happen, even if you police every decision you make from this point forward.
What matters most is what you do with this knowledge, being proactive with identifying the bad habits that have gone unnoticed for a bit too long and making the necessary changes ASAP.
It All Starts With Recognizing Your Unhealthy Behavior
Unhealthy behavior comes in many shapes and forms, and the most devious ones are those that don’t seem like much at face value but end up sowing seeds of anger and misunderstanding. However, if we’re going by the most common ones, you should start addressing the most popular culprits, often including (1) a tendency to be dishonest with your significant other, (2) refusal to communicate concerns through open dialogue, and (3) sparing no time for romantic affection and expression for love.
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A Tendency to Be Dishonest
We get it; sometimes white lies are unavoidable because we want to save face or soften the blow of a harsh truth you find extremely hard to tell. And, other times, we just have lapses in our judgment, and lying tends to be the easy way out compared to all others. But, being in a relationship demands openness and trust, and leaving extra room for dishonesty is a recipe for disaster.
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Refusal to Communicate Concerns
Branching off the same idea of openness, communication serves as the foundation for all understanding, love languages, and coming to a compromise whenever necessary. As a result, when you refuse to communicate concerns and voice out your opinions, there’s no guarantee your significant other will understand the depth of a problem. So, it’s never a good idea to close someone important to you out of the internal conversation because that will get you nowhere.
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Spares No Time For Romantic Affection
Last but not least, nurturing and caring for a relationship doesn’t just depend on the intensity of love, but the amount of time invested in the relationship as well. Nowadays, people are often too caught up with their dreams and other grandstanding goals that they forget to take a step back. Others succumb to destructive habits that provide nothing, needing professional guidance for porn addiction rehab or even alcoholism.
Your Partner Appreciates Even the Smallest Steps
Luckily enough, no matter how bad things get, as long as you recognize your mistakes and start taking action to correct them, even the smallest steps count as progress. And while it may take time to build back that trust you once held so dearly with your partner, they will come to appreciate your determination if you stay consistent and prove you’re serious about changing.
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Integrity in Action and Words
Firstly, your actions and words should start matching up as soon as possible because showing honesty and integrity through both are fundamental to a successful and sustainable relationship. So, instead of just saying “I love you” more frequently, support these words of affection with romantic gestures as well.
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Do Something Fun For a Change Of Pace
Secondly, while staying at home and going by a regular schedule for the day is neat and all even love seeks out spontaneity and a change of pace. So, if you’ve got the money to spare and some vacation days left unused, we recommend taking a trip to international destinations and seeing the world with your significant other.
Anything can happen, and while most people see that phrase in a pessimistic light, it also means that everything good can come from your decisions. And if you want to bring back the passion, trust, and understanding into your love-starved relationship, all it takes is making that decision now.