The searches for New Year’s resolutions are quickly approaching! This year, focus on strengthening your relationship by making resolutions with that special person in your life. Check out these resolutions that will be sure to bring you and your significant even other closer together this New Year!
Weekly date nights are one of the greatest and simplest New Year’s resolutions to aim for. Pick any day of your choosing and continue to prioritize keeping this day of the week free for the both of you. Whether you choose to cook dinner yourselves or order takeout is completely up to the both of you, what really matters is making the continued and conscious effort week after week to be together. This routine helps to remind your partner that they are a priority.
This is one of many New Year’s resolutions that has a whole lot of potential in easily fixing a strained relationship. Most of the time it can seem as if we are not fully connecting to our partners because of a lack of interest in the others preferred hobby. As a result, some partners grow to unfortunately resent said hobby, which then leads to trivial arguments and feelings of rejection. However, if we choose to take a step back and actually make an effort to engage in whatever hobby our partner is interested in, you will find that it can be a very unique bonding experience. It is always important to learn new things from our partners, and even if it “isn’t our thing”, try putting your pride aside and try it out, you may surprise yourself and find your new favorite hobby.
Speaking from experience, this is an extremely vital tip. I am the first one to see the glass half empty and then proceed to sulk and wallow in self-pity for hours on end. The power of remaining positive will really shock you. Even if the situation is terrible, as things typically will be in life, making a conscious effort to remain positive in the face of adversity will help both you and your partner get through any situation smoother and without all of the “emotional shutting-down”.
While this may not be the most fun of all of the New Year’s resolutions, it could prove to be a very important one to make. While in a relationship, it is so easy to come home from a long day of work, open a bag of chips, and plop down in front of that hypnotic television, but this habit could stretch longer than anticipated. Making an effort to work on ourselves mentally and physically can be very attractive to our partners. Whether you choose to get gym memberships or simply run around the neighborhood together, you’ll find that sweating and accomplishing goals can be a new and fun way to bond with one another.
This is one of the most effective New Year’s resolutions, that should not only be adopted during the New Year but also throughout your entire relationship. It is completely normal to become comfortable with each other; sometimes to the embarrassing point of hypnotically nodding and agreeing without really actually listening to what our partner may be saying. This upcoming New Year, try your best to break free of that habit because overtime it can actually impact your significant other’s feelings of self-worth within the relationship. Take the time to actually focus on what they are saying and listen, because they matter.
One of my absolutely favorite New Year’s resolutions, breaking bad habits together. Everyone has a bad habit, some more extreme than others. Whether you are leaving the bathroom a mess day in and day out or smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, try to break these harmful habits together. Bad habits in terms of cleanliness can put a heavy strain on a relationship, with one partner feeling like more of a mother than a partner, and even worse habits like cigarette smoking affects long-term health and well-being.
I know from one stubborn partner to another, it is so easy to hold onto little things from the past, but I’m here to say, just let it go. You will not believe the freedom and relief this grants you and your partner’s relationship. Choosing to allow these things to be forgotten does not dismiss your feelings, but allows you to finally move forward together.
Now we move on toward the notorious relationship killer—smartphones. We all know the feeling of finishing up a long day of work and wanting to log into whichever social media app you use and scroll for hours on end—catching up on the day’s news, celebrity gossip, or reading about that girl in your high school who just had her second child. It soon becomes addicting, like a second life we must maintain and manage, with the pressure to uphold our digital persona weighing down on us we may not notice, but we are failing to maintain what is actually real—our partners. A common argument among couples is the need or lack of quality time, because one or the other may be too distracted by their phone to engage in any. While social media is fine to use intermittently, we must not let it take over our entire lives, and most importantly our relationships. Striving to avoid making our partner feel abandoned or ignored, try to consciously cut down on smartphone usage when you could be spending quality time with your significant other.
One of my favorite parts about being in a relationship is being able to gather up all of the ridiculous things that happened throughout my day—whether it be drama at work or something that happened while I was walking down the street, and hilariously recreating it for your partner while in the comfort of your own home. Laughing together at anything is always the greatest feeling ever, and reminds us why we fell in love with each other. Whether you’re dishing on the latest drama or taking giant bong hits on your couch and hysterically laughing at commercials, make laughing a priority.
Having a morning routine, whether it be during the week or on the weekends is a very helpful New Year’s resolution for your relationship. Whether your routine is cooking breakfast every morning, listening to music, or going for a run, is completely up to you, just be sure to make it something that you both can enjoy!
Making an effort to spend time with other couples or friends is very important. While it is fine to want to spend time all of your time with just your partner and your partner only, this can overtime cause one or the other to feel suffocated, rather than loved. Allowing yourselves to go out and interact with other couples and friends can create more fun and memorable moments, and can even give you and your partner more options when you don’t feel like staying in the house.
I know this can be one of the tougher New Year’s resolutions to stick to, but it can prove to be one of the most rewarding! There is nothing worse than finding yourself growing bored with the monotony of work, home, sleep, weekends, without something to look forward to. By making an effort to actually find something new for you and your partner to do every month, this will help you both create new memories, as well as maybe finding your next joint tradition!
You never know how much a simple compliment from your partner can improve a bad day. It is normal to grow comfortable with our partners, and even forget to let them know just how important they are to us. By making the resolution to try to remember to give out a sweet compliment here and there will make such a difference within your relationship. Even if it is a simple “thank you” for getting something done around the house, it will be sure to do wonders.
I understand, we aren’t all cooks, and speaking from experience, I don’t consider myself Martha Stewart by any stretch of the imagination, but it is one of my favorite hobbies to do with my significant other. Following a basic recipe with your partner is a great way to bond together. Look something up on the internet and actually spend time buying the right ingredients together, afterwards, you both can make your best attempt at recreating it, taking precautionary measures so as not to burn your new apartment down. Whether the food comes out delicious or burned, it is the bonding experience that matters, rather than the quality of the food. If the food does not come out to your liking, don’t be afraid to admit defeat and phone for pizza, it’ll make for a funny story.
While TV can be a bonding experience—with all the various shows, characters, and drama, it’s important to try and take a step back from it, as it can become a bad habit that turns less into bonding and more into mentally checking out.
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