Pittsburgh couples counseling & marriage therapy

Ways to Improve Your Relationship

We can get to a place  in our relationship or marriage where things can seem hopeless or as if the love is lost. The question is how to we turn things around and ignite love and the spark back into our relationship? How can we do this when we are feeling angry, resentful, hurt , frustrated or bored? The most important thing to address first is to understand is that this is normal. In order to improve your relationship, both members must make the decision to act in order to move forward and heal. Below are some ways , shared by Makin Wellness Pittsburgh Counseling, to help you start to work on your relationship.

Communicate openly

If you and your partner struggle to communicate, you will have a hard time moving forward. Conversing with your significant other openly and honestly will help you both regain trust in one another. Be careful to not judge your partner when they share their feelings. Make your best effort at putting yourself in their situation and look at things from their perspective. It can be very challenging and painful to put yourself in their shoes, but it can give you valuable insight and help you understand where they are coming from.

 Show you are serious

Just talking about what you are thinking and feeling is not enough; you must show you are serious by acting and making changes. Once you and your love figured out what areas you want to work on in your relationship, you both will need to take some sort of action to start working on those issues. Brainstorm different things you both can change , express these to one another and start making adjustments.

Be patient

Just like it took time for your relationship to go downhill, it will take some time for it to improve. There are no instant or overnight fixes. Also, do not get discouraged if there are some backwards steps throughout this process. Your relationship is a journey with peaks and valleys as you are move forward.

Consistency is key

You both are now at a place where you are working diligently to save your relationship or marriage. This is not a time or place where you can use the “poke it with a stick method”, or put in a lot of time and effort one day , but not work on it for a few weeks or months. Being consistent is important and sticking with your plan is key in order for your relationship to improve.

Gratitude

Once you start identifying what areas in your relationship are not working, be sure to focus on and share what is working. Perhaps you struggle to communicate, but make time for date night once a week. Share how important this is with your partner and let them know what they do well in your marriage. Expressing gratitude will not only make your spouse feel great, but will help elevate your mood as well. Looking for what does work and expanding on that renews hope in your marriage and will help you continue to evolve as  a couple.

If you are struggling with your marriage or relationship , please schedule a free consultation today to get connected with Pittsburgh’s best therapists!