RELATIONSHIPS
Growing Apart From Your Partner? Rekindle the Spark
You don’t often notice when it begins.
Gradually, you start talking less with your partner, spend more time at work or with friends, and miss one date after another. Days turn into weeks and then months.
Until one day, it hits you: you’ve been growing apart.
Many couples go through this slump, especially those in long-term relationships. Sometimes, it’s rooted in unresolved conflicts or prolonged absences. Other times, changes in priorities and schedules lead to distance and poor communication.
If ignored, the situation will only go downhill until you break apart. But it doesn’t have to end that way.
Here are some things you can do to address the rift and hopefully bring back the spark.
1. Talk About It
When there’s a gap, there’s usually a lack of communication. So, start by talking about it.
Express how you feel and why you think you’re growing apart. Let your partner share their side as well.
Be honest and vulnerable. Open communication will help you understand each other’s needs and take responsibility for your faults.
From there, think of ways to rebuild your connection, such as resolving a buried conflict, spending more time together, or changing a particular behavior.
2. Share Your Deep Concerns
Another aspect of rekindling a relationship is emotional intimacy.
When did you last talk with your partner about your problems, fears, and dreams? If you don’t share your heart with them, they become an outsider instead of your significant other.
Make them a part of your life by expressing your deep concerns, sharing updates, and making decisions together. When you get a job promotion or hear of a family member’s passing, inform them first.
These intimate conversations will draw you closer, while the lack will pull you apart.
3. Shake Things Up
Sometimes, the gap is not a question of arguments or distance but of falling into a routine that leaves your relationship stagnant. Perhaps you’ve become so comfortable with each other that you’ve stopped putting in the effort.
Fix this rut by shaking things up. Go on a romantic trip, plan a surprise date, or write little notes to brighten up your partner’s day.
Spontaneous gestures of love, whether small or grand, will re-energize your relationship, keeping your fire burning.
4. Spend Time Together
Nothing beats quality time. The more time you spend together, the closer and stronger your bond becomes.
However, that might be challenging when you’re both invested in your work or live in different cities.
In this case, dedicate time to each other. Similar to how you allot certain days of the week for work meetings, block a particular day or time for your partner. Make it a regular priority and spend it by going out, doing a project together, or simply unwinding in your backyard.
Make an Effort to Reconnect
Growing apart doesn’t necessarily mean your relationship is at its end. Sometimes, it could be a wake-up call to stop taking each other for granted or a step to grow more intimately as a couple.
Take these tips to heart and make an effort to reconnect. Otherwise, you’ll eventually fall apart.
