Becoming a couple with your significant other is one thing. Staying as a couple is an entirely different matter, and more so, staying as a happy couple. Indeed, relationships face ups and downs, and only the strongest couples can brave through such storms.
While you’re not always in a jolly mood together, how do you stay happy as a couple? In case you are wondering, here are seven things to look at:
1. Respecting each other’s individuality.
While you and your partner are a “couple,” it is best to keep in mind that you are still two separate, different, and entirely unique individuals. You breathe separately. You think separately. You have your own respective dreams that do not always necessarily have to be conjoined given your romantic setup.
So yes, it is important to respect each other’s individuality. Not doing so can make your relationship toxic, because it’s either you only care about the other party’s happiness or value only yours. You don’t want to get to the point where you always feel short-changed, and this is all because you think you two are one and the same.
By respecting each other, you are able to see through each other’s wins and joys, and this is what keeps you happy for the long-term.
ALSO READ: 12 Ways to Have a Happy Relationship
2. Letting each other take charge.
Aside from respecting each other’s individuality, as a couple, you two might want to allow each other to take charge on certain issues and situations. Let your partner decide on things that matter to your relationship, and not just ask them to agree with you. This is because romantic love requires an exchange of power between partners. Let them lead, and they’ll let you lead too.
When you give each other this chance, the better the trust you build in your relationship. You also improve your confidence in yourself and in your partner, because you know your significant other knows and trusts you inside and out.
3. Cooking for each other.
Another way to stay happy as a couple is when you prepare a meal together, or for each other. This may sound totally cliché but the way to a person’s heart is still through their stomach, so why not take this as an opportunity to build a blissful relationship?
Cooking a meal for your partner (and vice versa) is more than just satisfying the stomach’s cravings. It is a gesture of love and care because you think about each other’s sustenance. It is also a great way to say that you satisfy each other’s yearning for affection, as you don’t get to prepare a scrumptious meal if you’re not inspired.
In case neither of you is a good cook, then why not take a cooking class together? You learn as a team and work as a team; you won’t feel the competition because both of you are at the same starting point, exploring the exciting world of gastronomy as one.
4. Writing each other letters.
Happiness doesn’t always resonate during fun times, or when you two are together. Sometimes, real bliss arises when you are apart. If it so happens that you two are living apart because of work or other circumstances, then a great way to channel the happiness is by writing each other letters.
Unlike SMS or online chatting, writing letters has a romantic flair to it. You also get to voice out the ramblings of your heart with no holds barred, and this makes it even more meaningful when read by your partner.
Writing letters also helps strengthen a love that’s challenged by distance; by regularly writing to each other you establish a sense of security that makes you two trust one another even more.
ALSO READ: 11 Ways to Overcome Insecurities in a Relationship
5. Taking a walk together.
Taking a walk together may seem cheesy, but it works for a lot of couples –most especially those who have stood the test of time. Walking together, either at the park or just around the neighborhood, offers a lot of benefits to your relationship.
For one, you two exercise while walking. And when you exercise, you release endorphins, aka the happy hormones. You feel light, relaxed, refreshed, not to mention happy that you are walking around town with the person you love.
Walking together also serves as a metaphor of your relationship –you two explore the sights of the outside world, and in this adventure, you’re not going to leave each other’s side.
6. Allotting a happy hour for each other.
Perhaps the oldest surviving Hollywood couple today, Kirk and Anne Douglas can attest to this. When asked how they are able to last as a couple, Anne says they have set a happy hour for themselves every day. They spend this hour only with each other, where they drink a glass of wine and munch over a plate of cheese while discussing how their day went.
They observe this hour because, despite misunderstandings and issues, they need to be reminded that these are only challenges that come and go, but the quality time they spend with each other is only limited. During this hour, they let go of their qualms and find peace in each other’s arms.
ALSO READ: 11 Ways to Spend More Quality Time with Your Partner
7. Just take one day at a time.
Lastly, most couples end up angry and bitter because they were too much in a hurry to make the most out of their relationship. When frustrations and disappointments pile up due to being impatient, they start to hold a grudge against each other until they realize that their love has already faded.
But you can avoid this by simply taking your relationship one day at a time. Focus on your time together, with each other. Make every moment count. You’ll find happiness in the simple, mundane things that you do for each other, and so will your partner.
Final thoughts
Getting into a relationship is often aspired by almost every single person today, at least at one point in their lives. For starters, becoming a couple with someone you love and care for is seen as the first step towards living happily ever after. It also gives you a sense of security that you’re not going to live the rest of your life alone.
ALSO READ: 12 Characteristics of a Happy and Successful Couple
Online courses recommended for you:
- Relationship Coaching: Transform Problems into Growth & Love:
Develop true love & greater intimacy & a relationship growth mindset, stop destructive conflicts, find meaning & purpose. - Love & Connection: The Science of Successful Relationships:
This course will show you how to examine the unknown path that you’ll travel with your spouse, and carefully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your relationship.
