Keeping a relationship fresh for years on end can be a difficult task for even the strongest couples. If you are starting to feel the flame that ignited your relationship beginning to fade, now is the time to take action to not only save your relationship, but ultimately make it stronger. One of the most effective ways to do this is through the use of relationship counseling. If you or your partner are a bit hesitant to participate in this type of counseling session, taking a moment to consider the relationship saving skills that this form of therapy can teach may just help to change your mind.

Learn How To Truly Communicate

Learning to communicate effectively is an important part of keeping your relationship strong and healthy. Truly effective communication will not only consist of each partner's ability to share their feelings, but also the other partner's ability to listen to these feelings in a responsive manner.

Many couples start their relationship counseling sessions without a true understanding of how their choice in words can impact the outcome of a conversation. Consequently, many reputable therapists will begin by providing couples with the basics of an effective conversation and asking them to simply fill in the blanks in the sentence. For example, you may be asked to complete the sentence, "When you stay out late it makes me feel (insert your feelings here)." Once you learn what type of statements foster positive conversation and what statements result in more conflict, you will be able to start communicating more effectively with your partner.

Decrease The Occurrence of Emotional Avoidance In Your Relationship

After years of struggling to communicate and getting nowhere, many couples will begin to simply avoid sharing their true emotions with one another. As a result, they become emotionally disconnected and continue to grow even further apart. The only way to truly repair this problem is to create a safe place within the relationship where feelings can be shared openly without fear of judgement.

While you may not walk away from your first counseling session ready to spill all of your deep dark secrets, your therapist will be able to help you decrease the emotional avoidance in your relationship. Over time, you and your partner will be able to rediscover the spark that allowed you to connect in the first place and foster that spark by sharing your emotions openly.

Change The Way You View Your Daily Interactions

If you and your partner have been together for many years, you may have forgotten just how precious the small moments you share on a daily basis really can be. By learning to change the way you look at your daily interactions with one another, you can learn to value each other and your relationship more.

For instance, rather than waking up each morning expecting that your partner has already made a pot of coffee before leaving for work, consider looking at this daily occurrence as your partner taking the time out to ensure you have coffee every morning when you wake up. When you learn to appreciate the small gestures that occur throughout the day, you will learn to value the true joy that your relationship provides. Contact a professional such as Sharon O'Connell, MA for more information.