Top 5 Habits of the Happiest Couples
Good Housekeeping blogger Andrea Frazer shares the secrets of happy couples.
1. Reach Out
In the words of an old commercial, "Reach out and touch someone..." But not just anyone. Your spouse! They'll be sure to thank you for it. And while you might not be having sex with the pool man or the cashier in the grocery store (or maybe you are, but that's a different blog post) there's no reason you can't break through that wall we all put up with a friendly, "Thanks. Hey, how is your day going?"
Related: 18 Clues He's Still Crazy About You
2. Make Friends
If you're like me, you'll find that when you let other people into your world, you don't put so much pressure on your spouse to be Mr. Everything.
Related: The Five Girlfriends Every Woman Needs
3. Be Thankful
Yes, it's a bit cliché, but it works. I wrote a poem recently expressing just how thankful I am for the little things Rex does to keep this household running. I have continued writing in my journal also. When I see on paper just how much Rex brings to the table, I'm far less cranky at the way he clicks his fork against his teeth while eating my pesto salad. Or the way he leaves shoes all over the floor just waiting for me to trip and break my neck. Okay, now I'm getting mad. So I'll end it with a "Thank you, Rex, for trusting me to write about us and never once — not once — giving me a hard time about talking about you getting hard...all the time." Moving on.
Related: Go Retro: Top 12 Tips for a Happy Marriage
4. Live Your Passion
This is a biggie for me and perhaps it is for you. In a nutshell, sexual passion is awesome, but after 10 years of marriage, it can die down. I have found the more I feed my passion for things non-Rex-related, the more I come back to him with a libido more buzzed than my brain after three cups of Yuban. Though I need to work on the stinky-coffee-breath thing. In time...in time.
Related: 7 Ways to Jump-Start Your Sex Drive
5. Enjoy the Simple Pleasures
This one is my favorite. For us, it's not about fancy dinners out or new furniture. (Though we do go to dinner about once a month. It's heavenly.) Cooking together in the kitchen and having a picnic lunch with our kids on the lawn with the laundry drying on the line? That's pretty spectacular also.
Related: Creative Date-Night Ideas
How do you keep your union strong and connect with your spouse?
More from Good Housekeeping:
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
