Relationships can be beautiful as you get to be with someone you love. Indeed, almost no one enters a relationship to leave their partner. However, certain circumstances can cause many unpleasant changes, prompting a broken relationship or divorce. Statistics indicate that the UK divorce rate is 42% as of 2023. Indeed, several tell-tale signs can prompt you to the demise of your relationship, including a lack of intimacy, distrust, inadequate communication, disrespect, and one-sided efforts. Fortunately, you can overcome these hurdles and reignite your love and interest for each other. And these strategies will help you achieve the desired outcome.
Listen to your partner
The first step is to discuss your relationship with your partner. However, it’s worth noting that no conversation is effective if no one is willing to listen to the other. Therefore, make it a point to listen to your partner during this time. Experts recommend practising active and reflective listening. With active listening, the goal is to allow your partner to express themselves without passing judgement. This way, they can feel safe and valued. On the other hand, reflective listening allows you to paraphrase your partner’s statements to show that you understand them.
In this case, you must avoid being defensive or eager to respond until they have completely expressed themselves. Combining both listening methods can make your discussion more productive, so keep this in mind. If you are prone to over-talking, interrupting, or dismissing your partner’s statements, now will be the time to stop. Also, suppress the desire to jump into advise mode; this can put your partner off and cause them to retreat. Consequently, be present in the discussion by putting your phone off, looking your partner in the eye, and showing curiosity.
Practice forgiveness
Many habits, actions, and inactions can cause resentment over time. However, allowing resentment to fester can dissolve your relationship. Moreover, it can rob you of joy, increase stress levels, and have other health implications. If you desire to revive your relationship, you must learn to forgive your partner and let go of resentment. Indeed, forgiveness can pave the way for emotional healing and the motivation to renew your desire for your partner. Likewise, observing them through a positive lens and showing empathy towards them is easier. Forgiveness can also motivate your partner to avoid negative behaviours and gravitate towards positive ones, so feel free to consider this. Admittedly, forgiveness may not come easy and would hurt. But it is achievable with the right tips.
You can begin by expressing your hurt to your partner instead of ignoring them. This way, they understand how their actions affect you and avoid repeating them. It’s also worth noting that forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling. Therefore, let go, even if you don’t feel like it. In this situation, think of the times your partner stood up for you or did other things to make you happy. Knowing that you need forgiveness someday can also help you forgive your partner, so feel free to consider this.
Don’t play the blame game
It can be easy to blame and dig up each other’s mistakes. However, this practice may be more harmful than beneficial. Not only does it amount to nothing, but it also builds resentment and anger. And this can turn the simplest of discussions into arguments, further building walls and creating tension. Moreover, blaming your partner can demoralise them and cause them to give up on working on your relationship. Seeing these disadvantages, you may want to stop the blame game if you want to revive the relationship. Admittedly, venting and telling your partner what they did wrong may be tempting. But you can get your grievances across without bringing them down. One way to achieve this is to calm yourself down, even when triggered.
Experts also recommend reflecting on your reaction when your partner triggers you. This way, you can quickly determine what actions you hate about your partner and determine the right way to react to them. For instance, if your partner always gives you the silent treatment after an argument, or they simply never answer your call, don’t allow the problem to fester. You can find an alternative way to contact them, such as using a different phone to verify if you have been blocked. While at it, try as much as possible to avoid reacting negatively to this scenario. Instead, be compassionate and empathetic, as this can win them over better than blaming them consistently. And this leads to the next point.
Make apologies a part of your relationship
Too often, many couples hesitate to apologise to each other. And this is usually due to pride and arrogance, lack of concern for their partners, and the fear of acceptance. However, hesitating to apologise can become detrimental in the long run. For starters, it can trigger the blame game, which further causes resentment and drives a wedge between you and your partner. Moreover, it can be difficult to win them back if you refuse to admit your wrongdoings. Therefore, imbibe the habit of apologising to your partner if you haven’t done so already. You can begin by checking your tone and body language when speaking to them. By all means, avoid sounding insincere, as that can damage your relationship even further. Avoid sounding sarcastic or rolling your eyes. Also, avoid giving excuses or justifying your actions. Instead, own your faults and humbly ask your partner to discuss the situation in detail.
Take steps to revive the passion
It’s common for couples to lose interest in each other after a breakup. And that can still linger after deciding to continue the relationship. If this is the case, finding ways to revive your passion is ideal. And you can achieve this in several ways. For instance, you can go on dates more often to catch up on each other’s lives and spend more time together. Or, you can have a romantic weekend getaway doing what you both love. Words of affirmation, genuine compliments, and cracking jokes are efficient ways to reignite your passion and interest, so feel free to leverage them.
