If you desire change in your partner or the relationship dynamic, focus on altering your own behavior and narrative, as your changed story can influence and shift their story as well.
Do not defer play, pleasure, joy, and fun until difficulties pass; these experiences are incredibly important for maintaining your humanity and connection even in the midst of crisis. Actively stay connected to nature, beauty, joy, laughter, and especially sensuality.
In conversations, sometimes the most effective way to communicate is to listen, giving the other person’s point of view space and validity without needing to agree, recognizing that multiple perspectives coexist in any relationship.
Counter the societal pressure for ‘perfect’ relationships by openly sharing your struggles and asking others about their challenges and what they’ve found useful, fostering mutual support and exchanging ‘relationship intelligence’.
Reject the notion of a single ‘perfect’ relationship model and actively work to reinvent or rewrite your relationship story. If you’ve been responding in a certain way for years, try saying or doing something different to change the experience.
Challenge the idea that you must fully know or love yourself before entering a relationship; instead, understand that you primarily discover and define who you are through your interactions and relationships with others.
Recognize that modern relationships often place an unprecedented burden on one person to provide what an entire community once did. Be aware of these high expectations and adjust them to avoid overwhelming your partner.
Understand that relationships are a dynamic co-creation, where your actions influence your partner and vice-versa. The relationship is the space in between, shaping both individuals involved.
View relationships as a continuous rhythm of harmony, disharmony, and repair (connection, disconnection, reconnection). This understanding helps to accept that challenges and changes are natural and do not necessarily mean the relationship is ‘bad’.
Consider incorporating a daily health drink like AG1, which contains five strains of gut bacteria and plant-based compounds, to support digestion and enrich your gut microbiome.