Sometimes, it can seem like keeping your relationship afloat is nothing but hard work. Sure, she makes you happy, and you’re great together, but there are so many social rules you have to remember. After all, every relationship you’ve been in before her has ended – and that puts a lot of pressure in this one working out. (Or, at least it can seem like that – really, if it doesn’t work out, it wasn’t really meant to work out.)
Is it really that difficult, though, or are you just overcomplicating things? We’ve got the top six reasons relationships end, so you can avoid the biggest problems. If you do notice a problem, make sure you work it out before things get out of your control!
1. Never let your anger run the show.
Some people think that happy couples never fight. That’s not true. Happy couples just know what’s worth fighting about, and what’s better left alone. They take time to cool off before discussing things, so that they don’t say or do things they’ll regret.
2. Don’t gloss over the tough parts – talk about them!
Happy couples know that you can’t just ignore problems – you have to face them head-on and come up with a proactive solution. The sooner you get these talks out of the way, the better, too – many of the biggest issues can be prevented if you only work together.
3. Never break your partner’s trust.
It’s a given, but just in case you missed the memo: Once your trust has been broken, it’s pretty much impossible to get that back. The obvious solution is to do everything in your power to make sure you don’t lose your partner’s trust. Even little white lies add up over time, so make sure you’re being truthful with her.
4. Don’t avoid confrontation – but always fight fair.
During those inevitable spats, happy couples make sure they don’t say or do anything they’d regret. They know that a fight doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the relationship, and that the end of a relationship doesn’t change what it meant while they were in it – so they keep name-calling and other low blows out of it.
5. Never use sex to control or manipulate each other.
Happy couples know that sex is something you give to someone you care about, not something you use as a punishment/reward system. Their only motives for whether or not to have sex are a) do we both want it? And b) do we have enough time?
6. Don’t wait until tomorrow to solve your problems.
If you want to be really, truly happy in your relationships (and life in general), you can’t wait for some day in the future to fix things. Happy couples take note when things start to bother them, and make a point to bring it up before it festers too long. This leads to open communication and a fighting chance at forever.
