Ever wondered why relationships start going south? What makes them drift apart?
Emotional relationships require nurturing which is important for both intellectual and social growth. When relationships go south, couples often wish they had handled the situation differently. One of the most common reasons for a relationship to show signs of extreme strain is lack of nurturing.
For a moment, think about the time you set out for a long drive and realise that your gas tank is filled to the brim. The needle pointing to the gas being full sets the driver in relaxation mode. This sigh of relief may last for a long time and result in the driver forgetting that the gas tank will eventually need refilling.
Similarly, a relationship also needs to be refilled with love and nurture from time to time.
At the onset of a relationship, the euphoria is high but as time passes, the graph of a relationship faces certain highs and lows. A nurtured relationship has the strength to ride over these problems and overcome this turbulence faced several times during the journey of a relationship.
How do you nurture a relationship?
While you might think that nurturing a relationship requires loud gestures, subtle hints that an individual wants to make the relationship work can mean a lot, even if it means giving a ‘cool off’ period to your partner.
A friend in a committed relationship for five years realised he and his partner could no longer sustain the bond they shared. It took them months of professional help to realise that relationships need to frequently hit the ‘refresh’ button.
Two individuals connect and become a couple. Then what happens, why do things go wrong?
Once they are in the relationship and the family and friends assume, they are ‘settled’, there is hardly any discussion around the importance of nurturing and sustaining a relationship.
These simple yet important steps may be helpful;
- Learn from your partner and contribute to their growth. Work on what you can bring to the relationship with an open mind to ‘let go’.
- Accept that ‘giving up’ is not an option during hard times. Every relationship faces challenges which need to and certainly, can be worked upon. In such a situation, reaching out to non-judgmental friends and family or a professional can help you.
- Help each other and share the load when one or both face problems. Stand together as a couple when life throws challenges at you.
- A long-distance relationship requires a bit more effort. Be conscious about giving time to your partner during this time.
- Accept and enjoy each other’s families and friends. This strengthens the relationship.
- Avoid overthinking and reaching conclusions.
- Invest in your emotional, physical and mental self being. This is often overlooked but plays an important role in nurturing a relationship since it requires both physical and emotional support by and for your partner.
- Recall good moments that you have built together or recollect the hardships when your partner stood by your side.
A nurtured relationship is filled with warmth and often proves to be a stressbuster.
If you wish to be in the relationship it’s worth investing in, you will have to experience the returns of it as well. It takes effort but it can be therapeutic to find ways to fall in love with the same individual over and over again.