The Seven Hardest Parts Of Being In A Relationship And How To Overcome Them
-
Loading... - Carol Brown
- 19 May 2022
- 285 Views
- 3 Like
- 0 Comment
If falling in love is the exciting part, staying in love is the hard part.
Despite what Richard Curtis films will tell you, relationships require a lot of work. And the path to forming a long-lasting, deep and meaningful bond with someone is not always charming or funny. Nor does it usually involve Bill Nighy.
From communication troubles to finding it hard to carve out one-on-one time, there are a few common difficulties that most people in relationships will experience at one stage or another.
The Independent spoke to dating experts to identify them and, crucially, explain how you can overcome them.
1. Mutual respect
It might sound obvious, but as you go through the ebbs and flows of life with another person, you’re bound to face periods of time where the level of respect you have for one another changes. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.
But not respecting your partner’s world views, boundaries, interests, and family can lead to serious relationship problems, says chartered psychologist Daria Kuss.
“Respect they may be different, like different things and have different opinions and relationship needs,” she suggests.
“Hoping to change them is not a realistic strategy and is likely to fail in the long term. Acknowledge you may not always agree on everything and be grateful for who they are and their role in your life.”
2. Defining the relationship
Thanks to the advent of dating apps, we have more choice with regards to who we want to be in a relationship with than ever before. A new date is quite literally just one swipe away.
But that can make it difficult when you actually enter into a relationship with someone, because it might take longer for both partners to recognise that you are no longer simply casually dating.
“One of the biggest problems in modern relationships is when to know if ‘seeing someone’ has become a committed relationship,” says dating coach Hayley Quinn.
“We suddenly have to have a conversation to verify where we stand.”
In order to get to a stage where you can define the relationship, Quinn advises listening to what the other person is communicating to you around their stance on commitment.
“If they say they’re not looking for anything serious right now, take them at their word. Secondly, focus on looking to partner up with people who share the same values as you around commitment. Don’t try to convince yourself that you want less than you set out looking for, just because you’ve met someone who you like.”
3. Lack of communication
Not communicating effectively with a partner is one of the most frequent causes of arguments, mostly because of how frustrating it can be when you feel like someone is not listening to you.
In order to solve communication problems, whether it’s lack of communication or miscommunication, Kuss recommends making dedicated time for talking, practising active listening, and paraphrasing what the other person has said.
“Avoid accusation and blame,” she adds, noting that this will only make matters worse. ”Be open and respectful of the other’s feelings and needs.” Read More...
