Keeping The Magic Alive In Marriage

I’ve been with my husband for 20 years. We met freshman year of college and holy cow, time flies!  We have been married for 12 of those years. My husband is a great life partner, but our marriage is not always perfect. We all make relationship mistakes.  Life has so many curveballs to throw!  When things are less than perfect, I remind myself that keeping our marriage strong is my number #1 priority. After all, it is the foundation of our happy family. Within marriage, keeping the magic alive is an important element of keeping your marriage strong. Here are tips on how to get spark back in marriage.

Whether you call it the magic, heat, spark, or the flame it is an important element of how to keep your marriage alive. Keeping marriage strong involves feeling connected and a big part of that comes from the excitement and passion you feel. Reigniting the spark in a marriage takes effort and dedication from both partners.

That is why I am pleased to have tips from a relationship expert, Wendy Strgar. She has won Best Sex/Relationship blog by Intent.com for Making Love Sustainable.  She is going to share with us some secrets on how to keep the magic alive in marriage. Wendy Strgar is the author of (affiliate link) Love that Works: A Guide to Enduring Intimacy. Additionally, she has contributed to several national journals, magazines and blogs including the Huffington Post, Forbes, and Marie Claire. She is also the founder of Good Clean Love, which provides the safest, all-natural organic intimacy products. Good Clean Love promotes sustainability in every aspect of relationship.

How To Get Spark Back In Marriage

Many people confuse the early “in love” passionate experience as how marriage should feel in every moment.  Even as the years go by, stress compounds and ongoing effort is needed to keep that love working. As our relationships grow, we can often feel like the magic we once experienced when falling in love and building a life together has transformed into a more subtle, even mundane experience that’s built on tolerance and acceptance rather than a strong burning desire of electric love.

“The world has grown suspicious of anything that looks like a happily married life.”  -Oscar Wilde

Yet, deep intimacy is entirely possible as your relationship goes on. Your love for each other can deepen and transform into an experience more alive than you could imagine. You just need the right skills to continue to build and foster that sense of true connection and communication throughout your long-term married life. Here’s how to maintain that magical spark and marriage heat throughout your relationship.

1. Communicate openly, honestly, and regularly.

Start by having regular, weekly talks that allow you to connect about everything from your children and stresses, to your desires for the future, to memories of moments where you truly connected. This will help you to keep the problems minor, address resentment levels far in advance, and keep your communication open at all times, so that when there is time, you can focus on being intimate instead of arguing. It also allows you to reminisce about what made your connection so wonderful in the first place, and any recent moments where you felt truly connected. To keep your communication as strong as possible, make sure that both parties feel respected, cared about, understood, and needed by one another.

2. Compromise and solve problems together.

Both competency and problem solving, and well as intimacy and emotional connection, are important to solving any disagreements in a helpful, productive way. Learn to be a successful problem solver through not just open communication, but mutual respect and emotional intelligence, to finally put an end to fighting and power struggles. Mastering these skills will ultimate lead to more intimacy, so you can both let your guard down and get to the root of your struggles, while chipping away at the emotions associated with them.

3. Don’t hold a grudge.

As you work toward mastering better communication, letting go of grudges will become easier because you’re able to talk about what’s bothering you in a rational way as it’s happening, rather than bottling it up and allowing it to explode at a later date. Make sure to assert yourself, express your feelings, ask clearly for what you want, and let your partner know why it’s important to you. This helps your partner to relate to and understand your experience, from your perspective.

4. Cherish your intimate moments together.

Time alone, face to face, without the distraction or stress of the outside world is truly the most precious time for your marriage’s well-being. It allows you to take time to really be present, listen to each other, connect, and keep your flame burning. Make it a point to touch as often as possible (even if it means simply putting your hand on your spouse’s leg while driving), and create a private snuggling space where you can both unwind in peace. Then, commit to spend a few moments each week making use of it!

5. Actively work to make your partner feel understood and accepted.

Start by making an effort to listen and understand each others’ needs and wants in your weekly conversations. Then, expand that skill to every day. Lower their expectations of romance and glamour, and aspire to simply enjoy one another’s company. Appreciate every gentle touch, moment eye contact, and laughter together. Remind your partner how much they are loved, and show that you’re truly interested by asking about their day and planning activities together.

6. Show your appreciation.

Praise and appreciation can be regularly shown through talking, physical affection, and nurturing of the relationship. Let your partner know you appreciate them, whether it’s a personality trait you love, something kind they did, how they listened and respected you, or simply their loving companionship. The more you praise what you like, the more you’ll get of it. After all, we all want to be affirmed and appreciated, and are motivated to keep getting that kind praise!

7. Don’t expect your marriage to be the one thing that makes you happy and whole.

Often, we expect our marriages to make us happy. If you’re feeling sad or lonely, don’t automatically assume that your relationship can cure it. Other factors in your life, including internal factors, may be contributing to your dismay. Love cannot cure all, and you marriage is not always to blame for unhappiness. Your partner can’t always be the one person to make you happy or fix what’s wrong. Happiness is an inside job. Work to create happiness in every aspect of your life, and you will find that your relationship grows within that happiness, rather than happiness growing from your relationship.

Conclusion

Discuss your feelings openly and honestly. Share your thoughts, desires, and concerns with your partner. Effective communication is key to understanding each other. Spend quality time together. Set aside dedicated time for date nights or activities you both enjoy. This helps strengthen your emotional connection. Surprise your partner with unexpected gestures or activities. It could be a surprise date, a love note, or a small gift. Injecting spontaneity can make the relationship feel more exciting. There are so many ways to help you bring back the spark in your relationship!

Reconnect with activities or hobbies you both enjoyed when the relationship was new. This can reignite shared passions and create new memories together. Physical touch is essential for intimacy. Hold hands, hug, kiss, and be affectionate. Small gestures of physical closeness can contribute to a renewed sense of connection. I hope you find these tips for marriage and keeping the magic alive to be helpful in keeping your relationship healthy and strong.  How long have you been married?

Related Posts:

How To Improve Communication In Marriage

How To Keep A Marriage Strong While Raising Children

Marriage Advice From Those Married Over 10 Years