What's Love? A Guide to Love and Relationships

When was the last time you laid eyes on a person who made the butterflies in your stomach throw an impromptu party by jumping up and down like their lives depended on it? If you can’t remember, and yet you’re not single and consider yourself to be happily married or in a long-term relationship, the answer is probably – the last century. It was so long ago that even if you found yourself single and ready to mingle, you wouldn’t even know where to begin because back in the day no one in their right mind tried to find love online! What’s love got to do with it?

Sustaining a marriage or any sort of committed relationship takes plenty of patience, excellent communication skills, and an incredible amount of understanding. So, what’s love got to do with it? Well, it’s a foundation, and it better be a solid one otherwise all the other ‘stories’ you build on it will come crashing down sooner or later. Today, we’re not here to discuss the foundation but would like to take a look at what it takes to maintain a relationship in this day and age when even the people have become disposable.

#1: The Art of Patience

Every relationship has its ups and downs, and it’s easy to enjoy the good times knowing a difficult period is behind you. But what do you do when you find yourself in the midst of challenging times where the future of your marriage is uncertain, and you definitely can’t predict what tomorrow will bring? Couples who stay together for decades have a common goal – to stay together for as long as they both shall live. This common goal is one of the key factors that helps each partner get through a tough period that threatens to break them up. This is anything but easy, and in most cases, time is the biggest ally because it heels wounds and eventually opens new doors, and it is patience that each partner must have for time to do its job, and bring their relationship back to normal.

#2: Communication is Key

Getting your message across so that your partner can understand your point exactly is crucial for maintaining any kind of relationship, even long-term friendships. At the same time, listening intently and paying attention to your partner’s body language even when he or she is not talking goes a long way, especially if you take the opportunity to show them you’ve been paying attention when they least expect it. When you run into problems, talk to your partner when the emotions settle down instead of poking each other’s eyes out when you’re each at your wit’s end. Being prepared to compromise on your wishes and desires to include some of your partner’s as well ultimately leads to a happy and healthy life together.

#3: Putting Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes

Having sympathy for someone is nice, but it won’t get you far. Having empathy and understanding someone else’s point of view means that two people are mature enough to be with each other. Children have extremely narrow points of view and aren’t capable of seeing the world through anyone else’s eyes but their own. As we grow older, we begin to understand that we don’t live on a remote island, are social creatures, and as such must take another person’s feelings, desires and beliefs into serious consideration. Otherwise, a very lonely existence awaits. Couples who are happy in their relationships for years and even decades have no problem putting their partner’s needs ahead of their own, and their partners are more than willing to reciprocate.

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