7 Habits Of Couples Who Keep The Romance Strong Even After Years And Years Together
You need these things to build a foundation that will help your relationship last.
Helena Lopes | Canva If you want to have a healthy relationship, the key lies in how hard you and your partner work on being happier. A successful coupling filled with happiness is as easy as remembering your ABCs. Or, in this case, just your C's.
Couples in successful and healthy relationships where there's still romance are not easy — they take work. A couple must choose to fully participate in and work on their relationship so they can live a happy life together. Once you've made that choice as a couple, being conscious and practicing the 7 C's will guide you to a strong and healthy relationship.
Here are 7 habits of couples who keep the romance strong even after years and years together:
1. Communication
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Every successful relationship begins and ends with effective communication. After all, if you aren't discussing your wants and needs, how can you expect your partner to know?
Communicating your thoughts, feelings, and desires with your partner is essential in your relationship, but many people forget that your style of communication can be just as important. That's because communication is not a one-size-fits-all model.
For couples in strong relationships, they are sure to discuss, learn, and remain flexible to the style in which their partner communicates. And you should do the same.
2. Care
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As a couple, you need to take great care of your relationship. To care for your relationships means to protect and look out for it. It also means that you bring fondness and affection to your relationship.
We live in a world where our relationships have become so fragile. When we communicate, especially when we disagree, we must maintain a high regard for our partner and handle them with care.
Research has shown that long-term couples who maintain strong romance understand that care is an active choice that must be renewed daily, not a feeling that either exists or doesn't. They've learned that loving feelings often follow loving actions, not the other way around.
3. Compassion
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The will to understand your partner is the basis of compassion in your relationship. We all come into our relationships having different experiences and therefore perceive things differently. And while there's nothing wrong with that, an event that means nothing to you could be hurtful to your partner.
By having compassion in a relationship, you are able to see the world through your partner’s eyes without judging their perception or experiences. You lead with kindness and empathy, rather than judgment.
Practice compassion in your relationship by being kind and accepting each other, differences and all. None of us are perfect anyway.
4. Compromise
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You are not going to agree on everything. That's just the normal part of being human. When you disagree, practicing compromise means that you can respect your partner and come to an agreement.
Even if you don't necessarily agree with them, you find a middle ground that you are both content with. When you compromise, you enable your relationship to mean more than your ego. Just be sure not to compromise your values.
A 2023 study explained that true compromise in lasting relationships looks like creative problem-solving rather than one person always giving in. When deciding how to spend a weekend, it might mean alternating between his preference for outdoor adventures and her love of cultural events, or finding activities that blend both interests, like an outdoor art festival.
5. Commitment
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When couples choose commitment, they choose to work at their relationship no matter the obstacle. When both partners enter into the relationship, it means they have made a promise to one another to stay loyal and put in the effort.
Commitment is a choice you must make every day. The committed will find a solution while the undecided searches for an escape.
Anything in life worth having takes commitment. It takes work. When you are committed to each other, you will invest in your relationship more profoundly. Only the committed couples succeed.
6. Consistency
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Keeping some consistency in your relationship in the way you behave, spend time together, and communicate will make all the difference in your relationship. Inconsistency creates turmoil.
When one or both partners make promises they can't keep, it leads to instability. On the other hand, consistency means a couple can depend on each other, remain true to their word, and are reliable beyond doubt.
While you should try new things as a couple, consistency is what will keep your relationship on track, because consistent actions create a consistent result.
According to a 2020 study, when the foundation of love is steady and dependable, both partners have the emotional bandwidth to surprise each other, try new things, and continue growing together. The consistency becomes the secure base from which adventure and romance can continuously spring, proving that lasting love isn't about constant intensity but about the beautiful reliability of choosing each other.
7. Consideration
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Show consideration for your relationship by being thoughtful, respectful, and careful with your words and actions. Be sure to consider your partner’s feelings and point of view. When you do this for your partner, they do the same for you.
Understand that you are a team and that you must consider your partner when making decisions in your life. When you exclude your partner for selfish reasons, resentment can quickly form.
Instead, always have your partner's needs at the back of your mind; it's what couples need to be truly happy together.
Ravid Yosef is a dating and relationship coach. She is an established advice column writer, Certified NLP Practitioner, and Award-winning marketer.
