How to Maintain an Intimate Relationship--5 Positive Behaviors(2019 Latest)

1. Show Your Affirmation

Affirmation, which means not only you have the appreciation of the achievements of your partner but also the inclusiveness of their emotions and feelings. For example, when your partner returns home and complains about the difficulties or unfair treatments they encountered at work, a positive behavior of maintaining the relationship is to show your understanding and accept those sad and angry emotions and let your partner feel support and depend on.

Moreover, the affirmation also includes the recognition of the role and importance of your partner in the relationship. Through verbal and physical actions, you need to let your partner feel like "you are so important to me", "I so appreciate your contributions to the relationship" and so on. This "affirmation" is also expressed and realized via your commitment to each other and your planning for the future.

2. Be Honest

It takes courage to talk about your past and inner secrets with your partner. Especially when the content you are trying to talk about may involve your painful experiences and negative emotions (such as shame or guilt), you not only need the courage to review these things again but also need the courage to face the results of being honest.

Honesty is a major way to increase mutual trust and intimacy. While being honest with your partner also depends on the deep degree of your relationship. Sometimes people fall into a trap of thinking that by the time they established a relationship with each other, their partners should fulfill all of the requirements and expectations of them. While the truth is, no relationship will be achieved in one-step.

Talk too much about yourself that goes beyond the existing trusting relationship and emotional foundation of you two will make your partner feel uncomfortable and embarrassed, and even create unnecessary pressure on them, like “you’ve told me something so private, should I tell you something similar?” If this kind of pressure you partner bears cannot be solved properly at that time, it hurts your relationship.

3. Be Positive

Be positive refers to an attitude of positivity and actively treating each other's feelings and the life you shared as well as being able to show your happiness when you be with them. For example, some partners are pretty good at making ordinary days fun together, like express this kind of good information about "I am also happy with you, even just to do ordinary things." One the contrary, others may have more bad emotional behaviors as they will show little interest in dating or have various criticisms and complaints about such activities.

4. Share Your Social Life

In intimate relationships, some people will also “share” their social networks (including online and offline) with their partners, and join the other into their life circle of loved ones and friends. Sharing friends and acquaintances is considered by scholars as a positive emotional maintenance strategy. By the way, this kind of social life sharing doesn't mean it will force you or the other to lose your personal space (like share your passwords), but to build closer bonds between you two by participating in each others’ social circles.

5. Shoulder Responsibilities Together

Some people are willing to share the responsibility in life with each other in intimate relationships, and give appropriate advice and support when the other in need. The division of labor in daily life is considered to be the most practical way to promote trust and deepen your feelings. Research has also found that it is also the most beneficial way of maintaining the relationship between the two to last.

That is to say, your relationship is well maintained only when there is a need for you to work together in daily life.