Hi everyone! It is officially summer and I must say I am really happy about it! How are all of you? Are you excited for summer too? Do you have any plans?
One of my favorite things to do in the summer is sitting outside when it is sunny out. I enjoy rainy days here and there too!
I love watching the birds fly around and looking at the trees. I also love to take a walk in the park with my partner. Something about nature really relaxes me.
I was wondering what all of you like to do with your partners during the summer?
This month we are going to talk about the friendship within our relationships!
FRIENDSHIP
Friendship within a relationship is essential to the overall health of the partnership. It’s one of the building blocks that keeps are relationship going.
Being friends with our partners increases a positive outlook on our relationship with our partners, makes for better sex, and helps us make any needed repairs.
So how do we focus on and build up our friendship? Let’s take a look below:
-We can try new things together, like cooking, exercising, watching new movies, going on a trip, or anything outside of what we typically do with our partners.
-We can stick to open-ended questions like “tell me about your day?” By asking open-ended questions we can start a longer and more meaningful conversation that allows our partners to know we care about what they are saying.
-As uninterested as we may be sometimes, we can try to listen to our partner’s stories. Not only does this give us more insight into our partner’s thoughts and feelings, but again it lets them know we care.
-We can support our partners in whatever they may be going through. Even if that means an extra hug that day or an extra minute of communication!
“Commitment is an act, not a word.” – Sartre
I love the quote mentioned because it really describes how we can have a successful relationship in every aspect of it.
All of the things mentioned above include “acts” that we can incorporate into our friendship.
Below is a link of questions we can ask ourselves when determining how satisfied we are with our friendship in our relationship.
Some of the questions address how comfortable we are with expressing our feelings to one another. The questions also address what we like to do with our free time and whether that corresponds with our partner’s leisure activities. It also addresses dependency, reliability, honesty, intimacy, affection, jealousy and many more!
https://www.gottman.com/blog/
Here at Peaceful Living Counseling, we work a-lot with relationships and partnerships with finding connection, restoring connection, and most importantly build connection. I hope this article was helpful to you as it was to me along with the assistance of Ms. Ebony, helping me understand ways I can improve as a partner individually.
Written by Christina Chokas BS
Client Services
