
“The irony of loneliness is that we all feel it at the same time – together.” – Rupi Kaur
Feeling alone isn’t something that being in a relationship or marriage can necessarily prevent. In fact, a recent study proved that over 60% of people who felt alone were married or living with their partner. And chances are if you’re feeling alone in your relationship, your partner probably is too. Feeling alone in your relationship is not entirely uncommon, and the longer you and your partner have been together, the more likely you are to experience this. The good news, though, is that there are many ways out of this slump. Use the following tips to reconnect with your partner and put your relationship back on track.
Show appreciation
It’s easy to get into the mundane nature of day-to-day living. For instance, we might have become acclimated to our partner picking up the pizza every Friday for dinner, or running the dishwasher each evening, or making the coffee every morning. The first few times your partner did these tasks, you probably felt grateful for them; as time wore on, however, you got used to it. While small things like this may have become habitual, they’re still nice gestures.
Reconnect with your partner by showing your appreciation for them. Thank them for both the big and little things they do to make your life easier. You’d be surprised how far a little bit of gratitude can go. And when people feel appreciated, they also feel happier and more content in their relationships.
Engage in meaningful conversations
One of the best things to do when you’re feeling alone in your relationship? Set aside time to actually converse with your partner. Share meaningful things in your life that don’t have to do with the status of your relationship. These topics of conversation can range from life aspirations to why your day at work was so stressful. Your partner should be the most trusted and trustworthy person in your life. While engaging in deep conversations, you’ll be reminded of why this is.
Open the lines of communication
You’ve probably heard a million times over that communication is a vital aspect of any relationship, but how seriously are you actually taking your role as a communicator? You might be feeling alone in your relationship because over the course of time, you’ve communicated less and less about the small things. These small things add up though and turn into the big ones. You can’t just expect your partner to know your wants and needs by reading your mind, and vice versa. Work on reconnecting by reopening the lines of communication between one another.
Create shared experience
While talking and communicating are crucial to the development of your relationship, simply spending time together is important as well. When the two of you spend time together without the distraction of other people, you’ll get the chance to reconnect. These experiences can be small, like dinner or a movie once a week, or big like a couples vacation or weekend away. The more enjoyable experiences you share together, the more you’ll reflect on your relationship with happiness and gratitude, rather than loneliness.
Limit screen time
It’s no secret that our society LOVES technology. We have TVs in most rooms of our house, watches that notify us when we receive a text, devices that tell us how many steps we’ve taken, and we feel naked without our phones. While technological advancements are great for many reasons, maintaining interpersonal relationships is not one of them. To reconnect with your partner, try limiting your screen time. For example, don’t allow cell phone use at the dinner table, or avoid turning on the television before bed.
There are many actions you and your partner can take to reconnect if you’re feeling alone in your relationship. But if you want help from a local psychologist, learn more about my couples counseling services and schedule an appointment today.
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