Finding that special person who you love being around is one of life’s greatest joys. Someone whose company you enjoy, who gives you butterflies and generally makes you feel ‘complete’- what could be better? The only trouble is that when you find someone like this, it’s so easy to spend all of your time together until you eventually lose sight of who you are alone. It’s important to maintain a balance for a healthy relationship; time apart makes the heart grow fonder and you can appreciate the time you do have together more. Here’s how you can go about it.
See Your Own Sets of Friends
When you become a couple, you tend to meet each others friends and in many cases will spend a lot of your time socializing as a pair. This can be a lot of fun, especially if you have other couples to go on double dates with and people that you both equally feel like you’re friends with. But don’t forget to see your own friends by yourself too, as there’s always a slightly different dynamic. It helps you to maintain the you that really is just ‘you’ and not one half of a couple. Set up a boys nights out, activities you can do together and even trips and mini breaks from time to time. It’s healthy to take time away from your partner occasionally and something you can both do with your own sets of friends.
Maintain Your Own Interests
When you’re single, you tend to invest more time into yourself and your hobbies. Rather than sitting in on your own, you’re more inclined to go to the gym, join an art group, write on your blog or generally try new things. When you’re in a happy relationship it’s all too easy to spend your free time lazed on the sofa together, binge watching netflix and eating pizza. Of course, it’s always nice to do this now and again and downtime with your partner relaxing is important. But don’t fall into a routine where this is all that you do. Have set activities that you do on certain days and keep these up, it’s crucial to maintain your separate interests.
Set Your Own Goals
In a relationship you need to be in harmony when it comes to what you want out of life. You need to be on the same page on many issues, from children to marriage to where you’ll live, even things like how you spend money and how you want to decorate your home can all factor in. However you can, and should still set your own personal goals too. This could be health goals such as getting in shape or reaching a certain rung of the career ladder. It could be taking on some more education, from an mba online program to a college course or degree. It helps you too!
Remember, some of the best relationships are when two people come together and compliment one another’s lives. So it’s best to ensure you continue to invest in yours.
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