RELATED STORY: 3 Little Things You Can Do Daily For A Successful Relationship If your initial “How was your day?” doesn’t spark much conversation, try asking more creative follow-up questions: “What made you smile today?” or “What was the most challenging part of your day?” You’ll be amazed at the answers you’ll get, with the added benefit of gaining greater insight into your significant other. RELATED STORY: Yes, It’s Possible For Your Long-Term Relationship To Stay Sexy RELATED STORY: Everything To Know About Attunement + 5 Ways To Practice This type of expression creates an instant sense of empathy because it requires honesty and vulnerability to share from this space. Tension will dissipate, and from here, solutions can spring. Just be sure to use kind, nonreactive phrasing when expressing these bottom layer feelings, such as “I felt hurt by…” as a replacement for “You’re such a jerk,” etc. RELATED STORY: Conflict Resolution: 20 Skills & Strategies For Work & Life Accept that your partner feels hurt. From this place, a real apology can have a significant impact. When you love your partner and hurt them (intentionally or not), you can always legitimately apologize for the pain you caused, regardless of your perspective on what you did or didn’t do. No relationship is perfect, but these 13 tips above can help keep a relationship healthy and thriving in the long run.
