Relationship Advice You Can't Afford to Ignore

Looking for some pearls of wisdom? Here at The Adventure Challenge, we know that relationships aren’t easy, but they are also the key to joy. They take hard work to maintain and keep healthy, and sometimes everyone needs a bit of help from the people around them.

We all have those crucial pieces of relationship advice that changed the game for us and helped us make a shift for the better, and there’s nothing more satisfying than being able to pass that on to others to help them win in their own relationships. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of our favorite pieces of relationship advice for you today!

Relationship Advice to Help You Thrive

No one is really looking for a mediocre connection. At their core, most people want the kind of epic love that lasts a lifetime. That’s why relationship advice is so sought after, and so important. Here are four pieces of relationship advice that will help you and your partner to thrive!

#1 - Don’t Settle for ‘Fine’

‘Don’t settle’ is relationship advice that we’ve all heard before, but we’re not talking about having high standards for the person you choose to build a life with. We’re talking about the standards we set for the relationship itself.

A relationship that started in fireworks can easily fade to the gentle hum of day-to-day life, and that’s okay! The steadiness of a long-term commitment can be a beautiful thing, and an adventure in and of itself. But if you ever start to feel a sense of ‘meh’ start to dominate your time with your partner, that’s where this relationship advice comes in. Don’t assume that the spark will automatically return without any help from you, and don’t settle for something ‘fine’ when you know it could be amazing!

When your relationship has started to feel boring or joyless, it’s important not to stay in that place. It’s time to clear the agenda and make room for fun again! Often it only takes a moment of laughter together to help us remember why we fell in love in the first place! And if you want ideas for fun things to do with your partner, we’ve got the book for you!

#2 - Keep Turning Towards Your Partner

This relationship advice ends up looking like a thousand different things in a million different moments, but even if we can’t pin it down exactly, it’s too important not to mention. Keep turning towards your partner. Every interaction is full of choices; will you move towards this person, or are you moving away?

Turning towards your partner doesn’t have to be a dramatic gesture or a romantic moment. It’s being awake to the possibility of connection in even the most mundane moments. You turn towards your partner when you crack a joke, offer or ask for help with a task, ask a question, or choose to look up from your phone to greet them. These are just examples, though, and there are so many other ways you can choose to.

Most of the time, the seeds of a breakup or a relational issue don’t start in a huge crisis or betrayal. Most of the time, they are sown over time as two partners feel a build-up of distance and resentment as their significant other turns away from opportunities for connection. That’s why this relationship advice shouldn’t be ignored!

#3 - Voice Your Needs

Ever been so in sync with someone that you felt like you didn't have to explain anything? It’s an amazing feeling when someone knows you so well! But if you expect your relationship to function on that kind of automatic intuitive knowledge all of the time, you are setting yourself up to be frustrated and disappointed.

“Stop glorifying the idea that the right person will just know the way to love you; that they’ll be able to just meet your emotional needs without you ever voicing them.” This relationship advice comes from Vienna Pharaon, a licensed marriage and family therapist. She continues, “Great relationships don’t just happen because two mind readers come together, they happen because people communicate clearly and directly. They happen because they’re willing to teach another where their boundaries lie, and how they prefer to be loved.” 

When you need something from your partner, it’s crucial to speak up! For many of us, we aren't actually all that sure what we need all of the time. When you’re in that position, it’s not your partner’s job to decipher you - it’s your responsibility to figure out what’s going on within yourself and communicate it. This relationship advice is going to give your relationship a long future!

#4 - Conflict Can Bring You Closer

So many of us spend our lives running away from conflict in relationships. We’ll ignore problems, pretend things are fine, and make sure that we never rock the boat, all so that we never have to face the pain of arguing. Others will rush headlong into fights so that they can get it over with, or so that they can make their point before the conversation flips against them.

But what if we didn’t have to be afraid of conflict in our relationships?

What if conflict was an important key that could bring us closer to one another? The truth is this; if your goal in conflict is to ‘win’, you’re always going to have a loser. If the goal of conflict is to understand your partner, instead of convincing them that you are right, then you only have winners.

So the next time you end up in a disagreement, get curious. Why does this matter so much to your partner? What are they trying to protect? Lead with the desire to understand them. If you can hang on to this relationship advice, your relationships will end up closer than ever!

Final Thoughts on Relationship Advice

When it comes to relationship advice, this is really just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many amazing tools out there to help you have the best relationship possible, but these four tips are some of the most important ways to keep connected to your partner, no matter what.

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