How To Get Through A Rough Patch In Your Relationship
Every couple goes through rough patches. If you’re determined to get past these rough patches, you need to both be prepared to make an effort to fix things. Below are 5 steps to getting through a rough patch in a relationship.
Communicate your feelings
The first step to overcoming a rough patch is to make sure you’re both communicating your feelings. Wait for a moment when you’re both alone and plan to open up to each other. Be honest and direct about how you feel. If you have a list of things you want to talk about, you can even write them down so that you don’t forget anything. From here, you can start to talk about solutions and compromises. Make an effort to stay calm - shouting at each other may help to get things out, but it won’t help you come to agreements.
Reminisce about old times
To help you work out why your relationship is no longer working it could be worth looking back at the happy moments in your relationship and discussing why they were good. This will not only help you to find solutions, but will also bring you closer together by reminding you of the things you love about one another. You could simply discuss old times, or you could look through old photos or relive past dates.
Try something new together
Sometimes the solution isn’t to relive the past, but instead to do something new together. Relationships are always exciting to start with because you are constantly having new experiences together and finding out new things about one another. Planning a new activity together or going on a date to a new place together could help you to learn new things about one another. It’s often the solution if a relationship has started to get dull.
Consider couple’s therapy
Couples therapy sessions are useful if you’re both conflicted on a certain subject and seem unable to find a compromise - they can provide a neutral third opinion, which can help you to find a solution. This type of therapy can also help you to raise questions about one another and make suggestions that you may not have considered. For many couples that feel they’re drifting apart, but aren’t sure why, therapy can help to find an answer. All in all, it can help in many different situations.
Be prepared to listen
While you may have concerns you’d like to discuss and suggestions you’d like to make as to how to improve the relationship, it’s also important that you listen to your partner and take into account the concerns they have and changes they’d like to see. Every relationship is a two-way street. Even if you feel they are the one in the wrong, you could find that there are still small sacrifices you need to be willing to make - such as supporting them in their change and being patient. Therapy will help you to weigh up who is truly in the wrong and who is in the right, but even in this case you need to be prepared to listen and accept things you may be doing wrong.
