5 Ways To Keep Your Relationship Healthy After Moving In Together

Moving in with anyone is a big commitment to make, and the first few months can be testing, but our dating experts have put together a few tips to keep your relationship healthy and happy when you move in with your partner.

Talk
It sounds obvious, but it can be easy to go days or even weeks without properly talking to your partner. If you're struggling to talk about the small stuff in your relationship, discussing your feelings can be nigh on impossible, but bottling them up will only lead feelings of distance and resentment in your relationship.

To combat this, start by making time for each other every day. Dinner time provides a great opportunity to focus on your partner. Rather than eating with your plate on your lap in front of the TV, sit down at the table and talk about your day. Doing this regularly will help promote closeness within your relationship and make it easier to talk about serious issues when needs be.

Help each other out
Clearly no one likes doing chores, but unfortunately we all have to do them and they can be a serious bone of contention when you live with someone. Feeling like you are always the one who cleans the bathroom or washes the dishes sounds like a small gripe, but you�d be surprised how many people with otherwise happy relationships fall out over something so easily avoided.

To avoid world war three breaking out, make a list of everything you need to do and set aside time each day to do your chores together. Not only will you have a healthier relationship, but you'll also have a cleaner home.

Make an effort
It may sound a little 1940's housewife, but there's a lot to be said for a slick of lip gloss or the occasional shave. Moving in together inevitably takes away some of the excitement of seeing your partner in their underwear, but it needn't be all paint splattered jogging bottoms and spaghetti stained t-shirts.

Try to keep making the same level of effort you did when you first began your relationship. Not just appearance wise, but in your behaviour, too. Holding your partner's hand as you walk together or giving them a shoulder rub after a hard day can provide the vital intimacy needed to keep your relationship strong and stop you feeling more like siblings than lovers.

Date
It's common for people to stop dating once they move in together, but regularly dating or introducing a 'date night' can keep the spark alive in your relationship and give you opportunities to put many of the above tips into play.

You don't have to think of any wild ideas, just eating at a restaurant you haven't been to before, sampling some delicious cocktails or checking out the latest blockbuster can all be enjoyable activities to do with your partner and provide an excellent talking point.

Keep your bad habits in check
If you've moved in with a partner before, you'll know that it doesn't take long for that cute little thing your partner does to turn into an annoying habit that drives you up the wall, but newsflash. They're not the only one with irritating tendencies.

The only way to prevent this damaging your relationship is to get it out in the open. Pick a time when you're both feeling calm and receptive to give feedback, and try to keep your words and tone as neutral as possible. Playing the blame game won't get you anywhere and your partner is likely to come back with a not so complimentary assessment of your behaviour. Once you've aired your feelings, agree a compromise on said behaviour and stick to it.

Don't Let A Winning Relationship Drift Apart

Something's not quite right. An uneasy sort of dissatisfaction with your partner, with your relationship, is fluttering around the corners of your mind. A sort of malaise clouds your view and a sort of depression accompanies it. This is definitely a problem. If this is allowed to grow, you'll find your body getting out of sorts, too. You need a paradigm shift. A new way to sort through your life and appreciate it for what it is truly worth. A new way that will help you appreciate your significant other, who has helped you get to where you are today.

Every life has its negatives. The power goes out. The street floods. Friends move away. Why focus on the negative? Candles are nice. The world is so fresh smelling after a rain. You make new friends. Your life turns; your relationship with your significant other turns, too. Focus on the good turns. It's not easy.

Sometimes the bad seems so much more overwhelming compared to the good. You do have to put your mind to the good. Sometimes it is easiest to start out with small matters, matters close at hand. Something as silly as the blooming plants that you and your significant other gathered and potted last weekend, perhaps. There's success. They way you both held forth at the bridge game last week. There's success. Or something similar. Good lives are made of lots of small good things. Like children.

Children are lovely little treasures that you and your significant other made. They are growing into fine young folks. Of course, raising them is a bit more complex than planting geraniums. It took working together to make them what they are, teamwork to make them worthy and lovable souls. You and your partner may be drifting apart, but at one point you were a strong team. You depended on each other for so much that is so beneficial, so beautiful. Focus on that dependence that was actually a new way of being free. You always had each others back and that was a new kind of strength.

Just as your children are a testament to your joy in each other, look to the friendships you two have formed together. Whether it's a tight circle or a large group, it's a fantastic support resource you have built together. Bringing in friends that reflect your individual personalities is a way you came to know each other better in surprising new ways. They may be quirky, funny, odd, but friends are joys in your lives. If nothing else, they allow you to have something mutual to roll your eyes about, to chuckle over, even behind their backs.

Even in the best of relationships, things may seem to grow old or tired. And sometimes 'what ifs' and 'how comes' become too much of a focus. If things seem to be getting old, well, they're not. You may feel bored, but you'll be surprised. Look hard and you will see things are changing, and change is good. Don't abandon something just because it's changing. Take pride in the fact that you have shepherded it so well and so long. Your partner really is beautiful or you wouldn't have stayed around this long. Your partner is someone to be proud of, or you wouldn't have stuck around so long.

No long partnership is ever a failure. Again, look at all the small good things around you. It's all made up of some pretty beautiful stuff that's a testament to the worthiness and loveliness of you both. It sounds so trite when it is said aloud, 'Count your blessings.' But, do. From the smallest to the largest, count them. When you wake up in the morning, when you can't fall asleep at night, count them. And, if it suits you, figure out ways to enlarge them or build upon them. Your partner will love helping you change together, because you've been so successful together already. And, changing can be loving, too.

Share The Path With Your Loved Ones

Do you and your significant other need a simple romantic way to bring yourselves closer? Are you not getting enough quality time together? Is it just too hard to make that time? Well, you've both got careers, you've got your families, you've got all the other little details of hectic lives that take so much time. It's hard keeping the perspective, the view that your partner needs time, too.

You each know that your success in the world isn't handed to you. You must have a plan, you must have a strategy. Short-term goals, long-term goals, both of these need a stick-to-it attitude. But, what's success without the success of your intimate relationship? As with your other 'must-do's', you've got to make space for the significant other in your life. A business client is no more important that your intimate client. A tee time for a business partner is not more important than a lunch with your life partner.

'Sharing' is the operative word when considering time together. It doesn't mean being in a place that just allows you time 'with' each other. It means sharing time together in a place where you can be with each other. An example of a place that doesn't allow you to be with each other is a movie theater.

How can a trip to the movie theater be a good place or a good way to be with each other? Think about it. Sure, you're together. But, you can't talk without getting shushed. You can't see each other. If the movie is any good, you're mind is on a subject far afield of anything having to do with your lives. So, you're basically sitting in the dark ignoring each other. That's not spending time together.

Rather than focusing on the troubles or treasures of the silver screen, you want to focus on each other. The almost perfect way to do this is excuse yourselves from whoever is sharing space with you, friends family or pets, and go for a walk. It can be a long walk, or a short walk. Let what you need from each other dictate the time you spend. You can hold hands, you can look at each other while you speak, the air is fresh, the walk itself gets the blood flowing. It's the perfect venue for togetherness.

With a walk, where you're going doesn't matter. How long you're gone doesn't matter. It focuses on the two of you and the things you need or want to talk about. Sometimes, walks can be quiet. And maybe that's important, for awhile. But, since you two obviously care about each other, talk will ensue.

Walks are easy to schedule, too. You needn't be shy about saying, "Let's go for a walk." By walking together, you're alone, whether it's a busy mall or a quiet street. You're really together. You can discuss important things, things that matter, issues that need resolution. A walk is a great way to clear the air. You're both in a relaxed place, a neutral place. There is no need for defense building, no need to fear discussing sensitive subjects.

The next time you and your significant other find yourselves in a stuffy room, and the moon is peeking through the crack in the curtains, grab his or hand and go for a walk. It's free. You don't have to be gone for a long time. In fact, you might want to set up a walk time each day. A time for the two of you alone, maybe just before or after dinner. Your bodies, your minds, and your relationship will thank you.

Improve Your Relationship

The ideal partner, what or who is that? And what makes them this ideal partner? Certain characteristics and attributes help to make us who we are, but how to match ourselves with the right partner? You walk down the street and see those mature, happy couples who have been with each other for more than fifty years or so. They always seem to have a smile on their faces, they look healthy, they probably have each other to thank.

How do we make this happen? How do you obtain a healthy lasting relationship like that older couple? Can we also be so lucky, yes, we all can, we just need to know how to go about it. Think of what they have that others might lack in their relationship. Sometimes it is the little things that count, and I think you would have to agree with me on this one. Strengthen those bonds you already have, live a healthy, happy life together.

So, what helps to make a relationship strong? You have doubts, you have obstacles in your way like work schedules, mother-in-laws, children, etc. Start with these two key characteristics to keep or get your relationship successful: attentiveness and listening. It may seem a bit obvious to you, and incredibly easy, but they're actually critical to help maintain a healthy relationship over the years. We all fall into the trap of taking things for granted and that makes our partners feel neglected at times.

It is as simple as just listening, being there for them. And letting them know you are listening. Don't sit there and just hear them talk, listen, absorb and understand what they're saying to you. We are all human, we all drop hints about what's on our minds, what we like or dislike, etc. Pick those clues out and utilize them to your advantage.

This will help you in the lovemaking department as well. Get you in tune together and working as one, a well oiled machine. Keep in mind that we all like to be pleased and pampered, being attentive to your partners needs help make them feel just that. Make them feel like a queen or a king, it will help keep the spark and longevity in your relationship for years.

I don't claim to know it all, I am not a doctor or a scientist, but look around you, see for yourself, the people who have healthy and successful relationships tend to live longer, act and look younger and bring smiles to everyone. Being active, even sexually in your relationship is a great way to keep in shape, after all sex falls into the cardiovascular activities that will help you keep in shape.

It is a known fact that during intercourse our heart rates increase and in turn increased circulation occurs. Burning calories and fat, while we are having a great time. Keep that in mind when keeping your relationship flowing and moving towards your goal. Keeping your sex life in tune will keep you in tune, make us happier and healthier along the way. What a wonderful world it could be.

So, take a step back, do yourself a big favor, listen to your partner, listen in-between the lines, listen to what they are not saying. Keep their wants and needs, their desires in mind. Keeping a lover satisfied is a great way toward health and happiness!