Making a relationship work smoothly is not always easy but it is not impossible. The problem usually arises when one takes the other for granted or have too many expectations. The following 25 tips are guidelines to help you delve into your own relationship and look at the possibilities of improvement.

1) Take time out to spend it in a meaningful way with your partner. Quality time is essential to rekindle your love and romance away from kids, family and friends.

2) Relationship needs security and warmth. This is only possible when each person understands the other and is willing to bend a little to accommodate their needs.

3) Love each other dearly but learn to give each other space.

4) Men are rarely able to express themselves as women do. They need more time alone to sort out their thoughts before expressing them. Understanding their needs helps to maintain harmony and respect.

5) Learn to appreciate and compliment one another.

6) Express the way you want him to arouse you. This helps him to understand your needs for intimacy.

7) Learn to be genuine in a relationship. This helps to sort out indifferences and misunderstandings.

8) Love one another with all their good traits as well as bad ones.

9) Be clear in your dealings with your better half. Avoid being resentful. If you had an argument, make up and avoid carrying the ill-feelings forward.

10) It is not a good idea to give your partner a hard time. It will instead make him more obstinate. The best way to accept his good qualities and ignore the ones you dislike.

11) Financial matters are usually the cause of conflicts. Learn to work on a budget and manage your investments jointly.12) Divide your domestic tasks so that both get a chance to manage and run the household successfully.

13) Parenting is a wonderful experience. Share your views and raise your kids together.

14) Learn to bring the passion back if you find a slump in it.

15) Don’t get tempted with one night stand. Remember your marriage vows and what he/she means to you before you give it all up just for adventure or a wager.

16) If you are bored with your partner, it usually covers up some form of anger. It is important that you find out the cause of it.

17) Always be positive and that rubs off on the family members. If he/she is feeling low, give him/her space before hovering over them with questions.

18) Avoid arguments. Don’t be harsh and say hurtful things which will haunt you later.

19) Being perfect all the time is not always possible. Make up for the time you have been nasty by commenting something sweet or hugging him/her.

20) Live in harmony by discussing your likes, desires and goals in life. In this way, achieving them together cements the relationship better.

21) Accept one another and don’t be bitter if he/she has a trait that you dislike. Learn to work around it.

22) Forgiveness is essential in a relationship. But if you find that you really cannot forgive a person then it is best that you move on and find someone else. Being resentful for the rest of your life is not good for the heart and soul.

23) It is important that you realize that the two of you will change and discover yourself as the years go by. You may think that you know him now but later he may not be the same person. So make it a point to find out if neither of you have changed your mind.

24) If the relationship is making you miserable like physical and emotional abuse. Then it is best that you break it off.

25) Seeking advice from counselors doesn’t always mean failure. Professionals know how to manage relationships and provide insights that you may have not considered before. 

Every effort that is put in a relationship is never a loss. You will always reap its benefits in some form or the other. If nothing else, you will understand yourself better.

©LoveBlog, 2007-2008. All Rights Reserved.

Improvement is needed in everything we do, whether it is our appearance or even our relationship. Here are some tips to give your relationship a makeover.

1) Decide: You need to decide on three things you would like to improve about your relationship-whether it is more time together, better sex or a commitment to romantic gestures and work out what you both need to do to make that happen. He could come home early once a week and help you make a nice meal. Or you may need to be more specific about your expectations when it comes to housework and divide up the tasks so you are each responsible for different areas.

2) Practice: Learn to say “Sorry.” It doesn’t mean you were wrong, just that you are sorry your partner feels upset. A gentle apology can defuse a brewing argument and lays the groundwork for a calm chat. Of course, it is two-way street, so you must both agree to say sorry when you have hurt each other.

3) Time: In a relationship, time together doesn’t happen magically just because you live together, in fact it’s much easier to take each other for granted. You need to book in quality time. A date once a week, or a simple agreement that you will switch off the TV and catch up, will bring you closer and remind you why you fell in love. It can help to rule out stressful discussions about kids and money for the first hour and concentrate on your feelings.

4) Compliments: Research shows happily-married couples say five positive things for every negative comment. So make it a priority to compliment your partner everyday.

Relationships are delicate. It is important to know how to sustain them if you want them to last forever.

©LoveBlog, 2007-2008. All Rights Reserved.

Here is a guide to help you make up your mind if you are in a relationship for the wrong reasons:

1) Do you put him on a pedestal? If you find it difficult to see any negative traits whatsoever in your partner, you are romanticizing him. Nobody is without faults and if you refuse to see his, you are not in a real relationship-you are living in fantasyland.

Think Again: You are romanticizing him because you don’t want to face uncomfortable truths which might put the relationship in danger. When you acknowledge his negative traits, it means he has the right to focus on yours. But in any meaningful relationship, it’s essential you are honest with each other, before you commit. Notice how you feel when you are with him-whenever you are hurt, confused, or worried by his words or behaviour, then you will know it is time to speak up.

2) Do You Obsess? At the start of a relationship, it’s pretty normal to read a complex novel into a text message, or to pick apart everything he said with your best friend he said with your best friend. But a few months in, if you are still compulsively analyzing everything he does, scanning his tone of voice for “clues” to his state of mind and lying awake wondering how he is feeling, you have got a problem.

Think Again: When you obsess, it generally means you don’t believe you are worthy of his love. You have made him 100% more important than you in the relationship and given him all the power. Wake up to the idea that all good relationships and 50/50. Tell him how you feel, for a change and focus on your own life. If he’s all you have got, you will be pretty boring.

3) Do You Chase Commitment? If you are addicted to being in love, nothing feels secure as you are convinced if he stops loving you, you will be worthless. With such a frightening prospect in view, no wonder you are terrified he is going to leave you. To combat the fear, you chase promises of commitment and proof of love, and panicking when he is 10 minutes late home in case he is run off.

Think Again: If you smother someone, they will want to run away. No one can take being endlessly required to prove they are trustworthy. If an ex cheated, then you are carrying the baggage and should stay single till you are over it or get counseling. If you have no reason to doubt him- other than your own lack of self-belief you need to bite your tongue before you drive him away altogether.

4) Do You Push Him To The Edge? When they are damaged or hurt, children often rebel by testing the boundaries of their parents love. By behaving as badly as possible, they reason, they can find out if their parents will love them no matter what. And sometimes, that continues into adulthood. If you are constantly picking fights or flirting (and worse) with other guys, you are probably insecure and testing him to see if he will stay.

Think Again: This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You don’t feel loved so you set out to prove you aren’t loved, so you behave appallingly and one day, he stops loving you. You are trapped in a destructive cycle. A simple conversation: “I have been hurt and I find it hard to believe you really care about me…” will cement your relationship in ways bad behaviour never will.

5) Do You Have Sex Too Soon? When you are starved of love, it’s easy to confuse physical affection with attention. If a guy wants to sleep with you, you feel flattered, validated and convinced it’s the start of a relationship. Otherwise, why would he be so attentive? Of course, 9 times out of ten, it’s because he just wants sex… 

Think Again: Make yourself wait, or you’ll keep falling in bed, believing that you are in love. Remind yourself that if he likes you, he will stick around toll you know each other better, But if he just wanted sex, he will move on to the next willing woman, so you are not losing anything by saying no. Sex and love is not the same thing, and one doesn’t always lead to the other. It’s time to stop chasing the fantasy, however romantic his kisses seem, and deal in reality. If a relationship’s worth having, it’s always worth waiting for. Excerpt of this article taken from Daily Mirror

©LoveBlog, 2007-2008. All Rights Reserved.