Obstacles happen in all relationships. Even if you’ve been in a long-term relationship and know your partner inside and out, there are certain challenges that you may still face. It’s important to remember that most relationship face them, too! Here are three common hurdles that most long-term relationships will inevitably face.
- A desire to change something about their partner. Wanting to alter something about your significant other over time is natural. Bring this up to them clearly and directly so your partner can best meet your request. Also remember to be supportive and give feedback about changes you’ve noticed.
- Feeling like you’ve hit a sexual plateau. You don’t want sex feeling like it’s obligatory! Maintenance sex is one way around this, meaning regularly scheduled sexual activity to help experience greater relationship satisfaction. Another solution is to express more gratitude in your relationship. The two are shown to correlate!
- Your relationship with yourself starts to suffer. If you don’t have a good relationship with yourself, it’s pretty hard to have a good relationship with someone else. Lifestyle medicine, such as having time when you’re not on your phone or exercising, is one solution. Another is positive psychology, such as writing a gratitude journal or giving someone else (like your partner!) a genuine compliment each day.
Source: Psychology Today