Your spouse should be your best friend in the entire world; you spend most of your time with them and that’s why it’s important that you have a special bond. This is not to say that everything will be perfect because even best friend relationships have ups and downs.
Relationships usually thrive more when you’re friends to each other even before looking at the romantic side of the relationship. Remember that a romantic relationship isn’t all about romance, but also about companionship.
If you are looking to have a balanced relationship with your spouse where you can switch to best friend mode when necessary, here are five ways you can learn to build a blossoming friendship with them
i. Have fun together
A relationship that’s too serious without any fun is so boring. Everything starts to feel flat and you can actually fall out of love because of that.
What you can do is be more open with each other. Don’t be afraid to crack jokes and share those special moments together.
If you have different interests, which is the case most of the time, identify those that you have in common and then maximize on those. This is one sure way to ensure your bond lasts.
ii. Handle conflicts like friends
Most people tend to be more savage when it comes to conflicts with their partners’ than with friends. With friends, you’re more likely to forgive and move on easily but somehow with spouses, everything is taken personally – probably because of the feelings involved in a romantic bond.
The fact is, you won’t be happy for a long time if you don’t know how to handle disagreements the right way.
Whenever you find yourself being extremely critical of your partner, think about how you would handle the situation as a friend.
iii. Be honest with them
Understandably, being honest with your spouse can be super hard for some people. With friends, you joke around and tell it like it is because that’s just how a friendship bond is like.
But when it comes to romantic relationships, you end up doing all you can to protect the other person’s feelings. Men especially, avoid telling their wives the truth because they’re afraid of how they will take the news.
Still, it doesn’t help to hide the truth from your partner.
You have to put the emotions aside and let the other person know how you feel about something.
iv. Be each other’s peace
When we’re having a hard time, we like to reach out to friends. They make us feel better when we’re not okay and we generally enjoy their company.
The same should be nurtured in a romantic relationship. Allow them to be your confidant and buddy.
The first step is to make sure you treat each other well. You should be careful not to yell at them, insult them or treat them in a way that makes them feel horrible.
Once you keep those areas in check, you automatically enjoy being around them. You associate each other with peace and joy instead of anger and hate.
v. Put the ego aside
You can’t start a meaningful relationship while guarding your egos. You have to leave them behind otherwise you’ll be introducing ego battles.
You will start keeping a tally on who did what and that’s the prefect breeding ground for resentment.
Think about how you sacrifice for your friends all the time and bring the same attitude into your relationship.
Of course it shouldn’t be a one sided effort but at least you should be ready to compromise for each other instead of keeping scores.