It means treating them like a great friend: trusting them, supporting them, understanding them, showing them that they’re important to you. Now, how exactly do you do this?
Here are some tips to try…trust me, you’ll notice an almost immediate difference!
1. Do More Together.
Sure, women and men often have some differences in how they like to spend their free time. But there are plenty of worthy options that the two of you can agree on. Become gym buddies. Cook together. It almost doesn’t even matter exactly what you do – the most important thing is to enhance your bond by working toward a common goal…together. Also, by investing in a history of shared experiences with your partner, you’ll increase the things you have in common and experience a deeper feeling of unity.
2. Help Them Feel Good About Themselves.
While we might think the world of the person we’re with, and even brag about them to our friends and family members, actually telling our partner these things doesn’t always occur to us. We all have egos, and we can all feel insecure. So, praise them on a promotion at work, tell them they look hot, tell them why you think they’re so great. Chances are, as their own confidence gets a little boost, so will their desire to be with you more.
3. Stop Trying So Hard To Change Them.
Most people find it hard to love others just the way they are. Hair, clothes, job, friends…many people try to alter so many things about their partner to better fit personal ideals. But while some of these qualities are annoying (or maybe even dangerous, such as having a substance addiction or an anger management issue), other things aren’t so much of a big deal, and really help make us the unique, special people that we are. So try harder to accept certain things, such as differences in style or food preferences, and focus more on the positive attributes that you love.
4. Share Your Thoughts.
We don’t expect our best friends to always know what we’re thinking. In fact, we actually enjoy swapping our thoughts, hopes, and fears — that’s most of the fun! So why are we often so disappointed when our dates demonstrate that they, too, are NOT mind-readers? We’ve all been guilty of harboring romantic notions like, “If he’s been listening to me, he’ll know exactly where to take me for dinner on Valentine’s Day” or “If she were truly paying attention right now, she’d know I’m freaking out about this computer and offer more support.” But you’ll save yourself a lot of disappointment by just telling them what you want and learning how to communicate better together.
5. Give Them Space.
Sometimes, we all get so busy at work that we don’t return emails or texts. Now, do we give our friends flack for this? Nope. But for some reason, the rules change for our partners: We berate them for not promptly returning phone calls and challenge them if they want to take a couple of gym classes after work or enjoy a night out with their friends. But remember, achieving a balance between “me” time and “we” time will make the time you do spend together even better.
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