Healthy Habits: Support the One You Love
Life can get chaotic with work and endless things to do. It can be hard to spend enough quality time with family and friends. When it comes to intimate relationships in particular, spending quality time with your partner is so important. As the primary life coach at Growing Forward, I’m always excited to help my clients find more ways to spend quality time with those they love.
My husband loves to watch sports and not all sports are my thing. So, sometimes while we sit next to each other on the couch and he watches his favorite team, I will color in an adult coloring book or play a game on my phone. When he is cheering, I will stop and join in the excitement and clap and cheer with him. By compromising and finding a way to spend time together, although doing different things, we’re still able to feel connected doing different things together.
We don’t have to love all the same things, but loving and supporting your partner when they are doing something that they enjoy can bring you lots of happiness in the long-run. It will also help you spend more quality time together. As long as the activities your partner enjoys doing are not harmful to their health or overall well-being, then feel free to support their interests.
There are many other ways you can be a supportive partner. Here are some ideas you can try yourself.
Start Small – You can’t fill someone else’s cup if your pitcher is empty, so invest a little time in doing the activities you love to do. If this sounds like it’s going to be hard, then start small. Go out with your friends one night, read a book for an hour in your favorite park, or join a weekly fitness class.
Stealthy Support – Some of the most effective support you can give your partner is invisible support. You can do thoughtful things like cooking their favorite brunch items or agreeing to tag along on their morning walk. If they don’t know that you’re doing it to support them, they are more likely to be happier and more relaxed with the experience.
Trust Your Partnership – Don’t think too much about your relationship. This can cause you to burn out and feel anxiety. Instead, focus on loving yourself, and it will give you the ability to then support and love your partner.
