Whether you are at the beginning of your relationship, or you’ve been with your partner for awhile, relationships take work to maintain. To keep your relationship strong, you have to put time and effort into your partner. And if you are with someone who truly loves you, Investing in your relationship will not only make your partner happy, but it will make you happy as well. Because they will invest the same energy right back into you. If you want to learn how to improve your relationship, here are 9 ways to be a better girlfriend.
Be supportive.
No matter who you are, it feels good to know your partner supports your dreams. Try to find ways to show your partner that you are supportive of what they like and care about.
Stay off your phone.
If you always have your phone glued to your hands, it will send signals that you don’t care about being engaged with your partner. Give your phone a break and tap into your relationship.
Think before you react.
You’re bound to have spats in any relationship, but if you are used to flying off the handle and saying hurtful things, try taking some time to decompress after the next argument. You will have a better handle on how to react in a more meaningful way.
Manage your expectations.
Remember your partner is human, and no human is perfect – not even you. Allowing for mistakes and mishaps with grace and forgiveness will instill some empathy between you too, and will go a long way the next time you make a mistake as well.
Respect alone time.
Being in a relationship should mean a lot of quality time spent together, of course. But everyone needs time to themselves to maintain a personal identity, and will probably give them more time to miss you.
Lay off the nagging.
You want the best for your partner, and this may mean you have a tendency to constantly try to tell them what to do. But this can become really annoying, and could possibly feel like an attack, resulting in a jolt to their self esteem.
Respect their privacy.
Nobody likes a girlfriend who pries, and invading your partner’s privacy will only say to them that you don’t trust them. If there is a reason for you to distrust your partner, then have an open dialogue instead of prying.
Make the same effort as you did early on.
It can be easy to get super comfortable in a relationship, and slack off on your appearance. But sprucing up regularly to show you still want to keep your partner’s interest will show that you still care about keeping the relationship fresh and fun.
Try new things together.
You may have a daily routine, especially if you live with your partner. But every relationship needs a little spontaneity and excitement. Surprise them with some new activities, like a new restaurant, a mountain hike, couple’s massage or even a romantic getaway.