10 Daily Activities That Will Save Your Relationships
Relationships require a lot of hard work. They are fun, wonderful, important things but they can also be very difficult to maintain. Trying to make two people’s lives work together at even the most basic level always results in some type of conflict or confusion. When you get into more intimate relationships and intense relationships (like living together and being married) things get even more complicated. Luckily there are some things that you can practice doing every single day that will improve your relationships. When doing these things becomes a habit you will find that all of your relationships go a little bit more smoothly. Sure you’ll still need to work at them but a lot of that work will get easier when you get used to doing these ten things every day.
The ten daily things that should be done to make your relationships better are:
1. Take plenty of time for yourself. The number one mistake that most people make which ruins their relationships is that they don’t truly put time with themselves at the top of their priority list. You need to be one hundred percent okay with yourself and in touch with yourself if you want to have happy relationships. You need to take time to yourself to be a good wife, husband, parent, child, etc. Learn to take just a little bit of time to get in touch with yourself each day and a lot of the hassles that happen between you and others will naturally just melt away.
2. Think before you speak. A lot of the problems that we have in relationships are small problems. We get annoyed with the people in our lives. We snap at them. We say things that we don’t mean. We speak from out emotions instead of saying the logical things that we really mean when we think it through. If you stop each day to practice thinking before you say something then your communication will improve and all of your relationships will get better as a result.
3. Blame yourself for problems. No, you don’t want to beat yourself up about things. However you should definitely make a conscious effort to stop focusing on what other people are doing wrong to you. Stop trying to change anyone. Instead, focus on what you can do differently to make yourself happier. For example, if your husband always comes in and turns on the TV too loudly while you’re reading you could blame him and ask him to stop … or you could move to another room. Don’t move angrily, just move, solve the problem and move on. There will certainly be big things that do need discussion and compromise but a lot of little things will become so much less problematic if you stop playing the blame game and just resolve the issue the best way that you can solve it on your own.
4. Say nice things. We all want people to say nice things to us. You don’t have to go overboard and compliment people all of the time. However you should be pleasant and nice, point out the great things that you notice about people, send a smile their way in the morning. This makes the connection between you and others a much nicer one for both of you to enjoy.
5. Listen to what is actually being said. Don’t jump to conclusions about things that you are told. Don’t read between then lines. Don’t try to figure out the real meaning behind someone’s tone. Just listen to what they say. Assess it. Ask questions if you’re not sure about it. Take things at face value and let yourself relax inside of your relationships.
6. Go for a walk. People are happier and healthier when they get exercise on a daily basis. It may sound like it’s not a lot of fun or it’s something that you don’t have time for. Do it anyway. The better you feel, the better you’ll be in your relationships and the better your relationships will be for you. Walk with people and you may end up connecting to them even more!
7. Forgive. Don’t hold people up to unrealistic expectations. They’re human. Forgive them when they do something wrong. Don’t keep harping on it. Let it go. Of course you don’t want to let people walk all over you so be aware of your own boundaries but learn to forgive the things that don’t matter or didn’t really harm you or deserve to be forgiven. You’ll be happier with your relationships when you do.
8. Be easy on yourself. Many people beat themselves up about their own failures in their relationships. They think they should’ve called their friend and are mad at themselves that they didn’t. They know they often flake out on people or snap at them and feel guilty about it. Stop beating yourself up. Let it go. It’s a new day. Be a better friend now and forgive yourself when you’re not. It’s just life!
9. Do something fun every day with someone else. Take the time to enjoy the little things in life with others. Life is too hard if you’re constantly assessing problems, talking about money, worrying about how to raise the kids, figuring out what your next steps are … make sure to take at least twenty minutes per day to just do something purely fun with someone in your life that you want to be more connected with. A card game, a shared bubble bath, a nice long phone call … these are little things that make a big difference in the happiness level of your relationships.
10. Say thanks. Keep a gratitude journal. At the start or end of each day take five minutes to sit down and list the things that you are thankful for about the people in your life. Your perspective on how great these people are will begin to shift to an increasingly positive view on them and your relationships will blossom before your eyes. Most of what goes on your relationships is actually about how you perceive them!
