As you and your partner grow and change, so must your relationship adapt with you.

Here are some ways to keep your relationship as fulfilling as when you first met.

You Need to Manage Your Expectations

The primary responsibility for your happiness lies with you, not your partner. Neither of you should expect the other to make you happy.

Expecting someone else to be responsible for your happiness is unfair, and a recipe for disappointment and dissatisfaction.

It is important to bring your own happiness to the relationship.

However, you certainly should contribute to each other’s happiness. But that should be the end of your expectations.

Best to Count to Ten

Your mother’s advice about counting to ten before you say something is true, especially if you’re upset.

It’s easy to react with blame and anger if your partner does something to hurt you. But take a moment to cut them some slack.

It’s unlikely they did it on purpose or with malice. It’s much more likely that it was a mistake, or they acted without thinking.

You have a choice about how to react and whether it makes things better or worse.

Keep In Mind Your Own Flaws

Remember that proverb about the pot calling the kettle black? Your relationship will stay in much better shape if you remember your own flaws before you think of pointing to your partner’s.

That can be hard to keep in mind when the first bloom of your relationship has rubbed off, and you no longer see each other through rose-tinted glasses.

An adult relationship accepts the other person, flaws and all. Imperfection is part of being human.

Next time you notice some aspect of your partner’s behavior or character that you don’t like, take a moment to weigh it against all the things you do like and love about them.

How important is it, in the bigger scheme of things, if they leave their socks on the living room floor? Does it really matter if they have to be reminded to take out the trash?

Stay Engaged with Each Other

The hallmark of a fulfilling relationship is being interested and curious about the other person.

It is important to make time to sit down and really talk, not just about everyday things but things that really matter.

Stay engaged with the other person by asking questions, and really listen to the answers.

How to Not Lose Yourself in a Relationship

Yes, we all want to have a fulfilling relationship with the right person.

It is important to take care of the relationship, but people often make the mistake of forgetting about what they need in the relationship.

It really isn’t very healthy to always be with your partner. You need to spend time pursuing your own interests and being with friends.

This is very common where couples think they need to be with each other all the time. How can you miss someone when they are with you all the time?

When you miss being with someone for a period of time you tend to be more excited when you do see them. This creates some longing and excitement in the relationship.

It also helps to appreciate them more and your time together will be more enjoyable.

If you are spending so much time with your partner that you feel lost when you aren’t with them, you might want to find some ways to nurture yourself.

When you take care of yourself in this way you are more apt to give your partner your best when you are with them.

Here is a list of some of the ways to take time for yourself:

• Take some time out of your day to read a book or watch a movie or TV show that you like. Don’t deny doing this because your partner isn’t interested in these things.
• It is important to spend some time with your family. Don’t alienate your family just because you are in a relationship with someone.
• Spend time with your friends especially if they are people you have had in your life for a long time. This is a good way to be yourself with people who have loved you for a long time.
• If you like playing a particular sport, don’t stop playing it. Just because your partner isn’t interested, doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy it.
• Take some time to pamper yourself at a spa or even have a bubble bath at home. This can help you feel great and energized.
• If you like to shop, take some time for yourself and hit the mall. Or perhaps there is a restaurant your partner doesn’t like, splurge and have a great meal by yourself.

A healthy relationship means having some time to yourself so you can give to your partner.  When you have a healthy dose of alone time as well as being with your partner, your relationship will be more fulfilling.

Also, don’t forget to encourage your partner to have their alone time as well!

Communication for a Fulfilling Relationship

It is pretty easy to start a relationship. Being able to maintain a relationship and keep it fulfilling over time, takes some work. The key ingredient to a fulfilling relationship is being able to communicate well.

Here is a list of some of the ways of keeping the communication working with your partner:

Sharing your thoughts and feeling with one another allows for intimacy in the relationship. It is important that you are both able to speak your mind and not have the other put you down for feeling the way you do or belittling you.

A supportive relationship means sharing what is going on with one another. If there is no support, communication stops.

It is important to reaffirm that you have heard what they have said and you acknowledge their feelings. Everyone just wants to be heard.

In every relationship, there are going to be differences. You will not always agree with one another. It is natural to have a disagreement.

It is important, however, to know how to handle those differences and disagreements. You need to be able to take about them and find a solution. Often the solution will be a compromise that should at least have you meeting each other in the middle.

Another important aspect of communication is listening to your partner. Let them talk without interruptions. If you interrupt them you are going to close down the lines of communication.

Communication builds trust and honesty. Telling your partner the truth even if it is difficult builds trust.

In fact, trust is the foundation of a good relationship. Lying destroys trust and thus destroys the relationship.

Whatever your concerns your partner might have, take what they have to say seriously. If it’s a concern for them, it needs to be worked out. You need to realize that they need your support.

Always stay positive and hold a positive attitude whenever possible. This is essential for communication. As a matter of fact, a positive attitude only encourages more communication.

Lastly, don’t keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself. If you do, your feelings could turn to anger and resentment and you hurt yourself, your partner, and the relationship.

By maintaining these key points you can ensure that the lines of communication will stay open in your relationship.

The Surprising Key to Building a Healthy Relationship that Lasts Video:

In order to maintain a fulfilling relationship, all you need to do is be honest about who you are and how you feel about certain things.

Don’t ever stop communicating with your partner.

Living with another person is going to have its ups and downs.

However, if you trust that you picked the right person and you allow yourself to be honest with who you are, you are already winning. The result of having a great relationship is that you get to create the best life possible.

Your relationship with change over time. As we go through life, there are going to be some challenges.

However, if you have a loving partner, you will be able to weather those challenges.

The post How to Have and Keep a Fulfilling Relationship appeared first on Create the Best Life.