We don’t all have time for couples therapy or waking up a half hour early to spend “quality time” with your spouses. With the day-to-day hustle, there’s barely enough time to make dinner, but we can all squeeze in these 60-second strategies that will help you save your marriage. They don’t require any huge change, but as we all know, it’s the little things that add up. Here are four ways you can keep your marriage happy and healthy.
1. Greet Him at the Door — Clothed!
Who cares how bad your day was. Or how bad his day was. When you two first see each other at the end of the day, you should greet each other. Sounds obvious, right? Well, consider how often you both are rushing to get dinner started, hit the gym, return a call, etc. It’s much more common that when he steps inside the door we’re asking him if he remembered to pick up milk. So, make it a point to let him know how happy you are to see him after being apart all day. He’ll do the same and you’ll both feel the stress from the day fade away.
2. Hold That Kiss
You know that quick peck on the lips we all start to give in relationships? Whether it’s when we’re getting ready for bed or heading out the door, they start to become routine, and very, very predictable. So, next time you’re giving one of those quick pecks, keep your lips there for an extra 10 seconds. Make the kiss count. It will leave you feeling warm, close, and connected. And it’s great what it does for relationships. Just that little extra passion in a kiss will help improve your entire sex life.
3. Reach Out and Touch Him
If you were to visualize a couple madly in love with each other, they would most likely be touching, right? Well, with all the pressures of modern life, touching, hugging, and even hand-holding tends to vanish from relationships as quickly as those 10 second kisses. For the most part our bodies are all craving touch. Just think of how much a dog or cat loves to be doted on. Do that for your guy. It’s easy, really. Grab his hand while you’re grocery shopping, or rub his back while reading the morning paper. Just sneak it in whenever you can.
4. Turn off the TV
The average American couple spends very little time actually talking to each other. Usually it’s just a few minutes a day. Consider this: Could you study for a few minutes and expect to pass a course? Could you raise children with just a few minutes each day? The answer is no. So, you shouldn’t expect to nurture a healthy, happy relationship with just a few minutes a day. Therefore, you need to create times when it’s all about the conversation between you two. That means turning off the TV and looking at your partner when they’re talking. It’s a small, simple way to show love, but will make all the difference.
