This post is all about the best tips for a strong and happy relationship.
Looking for ideas on how can you make your relationship stronger? Or how make sure you have a happy and healthy relationship right from the start?
Whether you are already in a long-term relationship or you have just started dating your prince charming, it’s always good to know a few tricks to keep things rosy and sweet and extend that honeymoon feeling for years to come.
The way I see it, these aren’t relationship tips just for us ladies, they can easily apply to men as well. In fact, I’d say they are a collection of healthy and practical relationship tips for couples, in general.
What makes me such an expert in relationships?
First, you should know I try to never give advice. Everyone is different and I am no expert or professional in matters of the heart.
I do think I am in a good position to give you some tips though. Why? For the past 5 years, my boyfriend and I have been in a SUPER happy, loving, and fulfilling relationship.
Not a day goes by that I do not think to myself “I must have done something right in this life to deserve him.” 🙂
I look at him, and how kind, loving and understanding he is, and I just can’t believe my luck.
Now, if that sounds a bit cheesy, I get it. 😉 But I think this level of appreciation (on both sides) is what makes our relationship very strong. If you do have someone like that in your life, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean. And if you don’t, don’t worry, he’ll come, just be patient.
Secondly, we have spent the past YEAR in a lockdown, stuck together 24-7 in our little apartment in Amsterdam, and STILL love each other very much.
While this pandemic has proven challenging for a lot of couples, I can honestly say it has actually made our relationship even stronger. What better test for any 2 people than being stuck with each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and still enjoying every moment of it?!
(Btw, if you’re looking for the best things to do in a lockdown for a better you afterwards, have a look here)
That’s not to say everything is perfect all the time. But knowing how to deal with situations as they arise is KEY.
These tips which I am going to share with you below are what is helping us keep our relationship healthy and strong and navigate through difficulties once they arise.
11 Strong Relationship Tips For A Happy Couple
To make it super easy for you to navigate, I’ve grouped these tips into themes, such as the basics (5 most important things in a relationship), tips on money, tips on managing conflict (as it will inevitably arise), tips on organizing, and so on. So let’s dive right into them:
5 Most Important Things in a Relationship – The Basics
Be respectful and honest
Being respectful and honest is by far the most important thing in a relationship. At least in my opinion. You need to BE and FEEL respected by your partner and you should show him (or her) the same respect in return.
This is of course a very broad topic but it often reflects in the little things, like the way you treat or speak to each other. It’s also about being respectful with his family and friends, respectful of his time (by being punctual on dates for example), and so on.
Honesty is also very important. Knowing that you can trust your partner 1000%. That trust comes from being honest, saying what’s on your mind, being open. This leads me to my next point.
Communicate – say what you feel, good or bad
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, you’ve probably already read it and heard it from EVERYONE: communication is KEY for a strong relationship. So say what’s on your mind, say what you feel (good or bad), and don’t hold it in.
If it’s good, then great, everyone likes to hear how happy their partner makes them. If it’s bad, it’s important that your partner knows what doesn’t make you happy and how to fix it.
Us ladies, we are masters at getting upset and then expecting our partners to just know, sense it and apologize. You need to remember that men are not mindreaders. So if something is bothering you, the best thing to do is to just say it. In the most direct, clear, yet gentle way possible. 😉
Stay away from expressions like “you never..” and “you always..”
Speaking of communication, this is SUPER important. Unless those expressions end on a positive note like “you always make me smile”, avoid using them. They generalize which is exactly what we don’t want to do, particularly when we’re trying to have a conversation with our partner about something that is bothering us.
I was guilty of this one quite a bit in the beginning, as my boyfriend pointed out. Now I am super careful to the words I use. 🙂 And you know what’s fun – whenever any of us still slips one “you always” or “you never” in, we tease each other and make fun of it.
Support each other in everything
I truly believe that a relationship is a partnership. An equal partnership, by the way, but we’ll get to that later ;). You two, together, are your own little team. It’s the two of you against the world. So support each other no matter what and build each other up.
He wants to start a new business or is looking for a new job? A few words of encouragement or some advice if that’s your area of expertise can go a long way. (especially when things get tough)
Both of us have launched our own projects this year, both quite different areas, and we have been helping each other along the way: he’s been my IT support for all the “techy” things on this website and I’ve been helping out on the marketing side and brainstorming ideas for his new business.
Appreciate each other
This might sound like such a no-brainer, yet I’m not sure many couples do this enough.
Has he gone grocery shopping, fixed the sink, or cooked you an amazing dinner? Say thank you and compliment that handsome chef! It’s not only polite and respectful but will also make him feel appreciated.
So don’t forget to compliment and appreciate each other on a regular basis, and you will see your relationship flourish.
Relationship Tips On Money
Talk about money
It’s important to talk about money in a relationship and be open about how much each of you is making, right from the beginning. In any strong relationship, money should not be a taboo topic.
This will prevent difficulties in the future, for example when deciding where to go on holiday or simply out for dinner. Not sure who needs to hear this but you should not be getting into debt just to keep up with a lifestyle you can’t afford.
We’re lucky in the way that we each have similar income, but can be times when one partner earns a lot more than the other so being aware of what the other one can afford is very important.
Keep everything 50-50
Maybe it’s just a personal preference but I love an EQUAL partnership, so we always split everything by 2. Whether it’s holidays, dates, groceries, rent, household expenses, everything is 50-50.
Having a common bank account, from which all these expenses are paid, is a great and easy way to manage it.
Strong Relationship Tips On Managing Conflict
Apologize when you’ve made a mistake
This is one of the BEST tips for a strong relationship I can give you: if you’ve accidentally done something to upset your partner or made a mistake, apologize right away and see how you can make things right.
The same goes the other way, if your partner is apologizing to you, accept it and move on. Don’t linger in an unpleasant situation more than you need to.
Don’t stay upset with each other
This goes hand in hand with the tip above. One of the things I love most about our relationship is that we don’t stay upset with each other. We admit we did something wrong, forgive each other and move on. SUPER QUICK.
Don’t take yourselves too seriously
One joke I like to make with my boyfriend is how our dishes never seem to find their way to the dishwasher, most of the time landing just inches away from it, on the counter. 😀
Now, isn’t that WAY better than me saying “why do you you never put the dishes in the dishwasher?!?!”
Keep it light, joke around and don’t take yourselves too seriously.
Relationship Tips On Organizing/ Household
Have “deals” with each other
Yes you read that right.
Having small agreements (deals) with each other to divide the household work – cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, laundry can be such a lifesaver. It’s all based, of course, on that 50-50 principle, so everything is divided fairly among us both.
I actually need to credit my amazing boyfriend for this one, as this was his idea. Right from the beginning, we started creating these deals between ourselves and later on expanded as we moved in together. Here some examples:
- cooking deal: he cooks, I do the dishes (I LOVE this one as I don’t particularly like cooking but don’t mind cleaning. He’s actually a much better cook than me, to be honest, so win-win ;))
- cleaning deal: I clean the bathroom, he cleans the kitchen. I dust the furniture, he vacuums and cleans the floors
- laundry deal: he does the laundry and hangs it, I fold it and put it back in the closet
You get my point. They can be anything you decide, anything that will make both your lives easier and will help divide tasks and keep everything equal.
I cannot tell you how much this is helping keep our relationship happy!
Final thoughts
Relationships can be tricky, but with a few smart tips, lots of love, and understanding they can flourish and bring you so much happiness.
I hope you found these 11 tips for a strong relationship useful and if you have any suggestions of your own, feel free to drop them in the comments below!
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