It is only natural that, from time to time, people in loving relationships will encounter issues or conflicts they’re having to resolve. Despite the average length of a marriage being 19.9 years and a relationship that does result in a marriage estimated to last around 2 years and 9 months, is there anything you can do to reclaim the love you once had or work past your issues and remain together?

If you want to strengthen your relationship and ensure you stand the test of time, the following points can be effective ways to help you improve your relationship and work towards longevity.

Make time for each other.

As unromantic as it sounds, making time for each other is much better than trying to squeeze things in or be spontaneous. A reason for people drifting apart is often because their lives are too busy to allow them to focus on the relationship, so scheduling time to spend together with no distractions can help you to make time. It can be two hours of an evening while the kids are in bed, or you can take a weekend break once per month for extra time, but whatever you do, make time to be together with nothing else pulling your attention away for that time so you can focus on each other.

Therapy

Going to marriage counseling or seeing a Relationship Psychologist can give you a safe space to talk through your issues and find a way to move past any blocks in your relationship and find a way back to each other in a way that works for who you are now, not who you were when you got back together. Couples need to learn to grow together and love each other over time, and talking to a professional can help you get to this point if you cannot do so yourself.

Stop expecting perfection

Perfection is overrated, and there is no such thing as a perfect partner. There is simply the ideal fit for you. To build your relationship and strengthen your bond, drop all expectations of perfection and learn to love each other for who they are. You can’t be in a healthy relationship if one or both parties want to change the other. Instead, ask yourself if you can live with them as they are and vice versa and if you are willing to work to accommodate each other. Talk about your issues and look for ways you can compromise. Explain how certain this makes you feel and what you feel this way so you can have more insight into how your behaviors affect others.

Make an effort

Making an effort in a relationship doesn’t always need to be about the big grand gestures. It is about doing the little things that show you care about the other person. It can be making them a coffee to take to work, buying their favorite food for dinner, complimenting the other person, or sharing your appreciation for things they do. Saying thank you to them for doing something and telling them they look nice in a genuine way can go a long way to making an effort to show someone you care and can be a positive step towards a stronger relationship.

If you are serious about helping your relationship stand the test of time, you need to ensure you are trying to improve your communication and show your partner or spouse you are invested in making this work.