Habits of Happily Married People

People who are happily married know that you have to work at a good marriage. All relationships involve a little bit of work, but a good marriage shouldn’t be a full time job! Here are 7 simple habits that happily married people use to easily maintain a loving and healthy relationship.

1. Be spontaneous. Do it anytime: in the morning, on a lunch break, right after you get off work. The best couples don’t let sex become routine and banal. They let it happen whenever it comes, naturally and excitingly. They don’t worry about the timing. They go with the flow and let their bodies do what husbands and wives were meant to do.

2. Touch each other. It’s hard after living with another person for a while to not start to see them in a different way, like more of a roommate and less of a loved one. So get in as much physical affection as you can: a shoulder rub, a long hug, a playful spank. They’re the person you love, and touch is a great way to show that.

3. Make efforts to be in love. Falling in love is inevitable, but staying in love is a choice. It should be (and is) natural, but we are human beings. Our attention and feelings wax and wane. Make an effort every day to commit to your spouse, because a truly happy marriage involves a little bit of work. Even if it’s just taking the time to listen to their problems, or doing something that you know they’ll like; these tasks are what show you’re committed to the other person.

4. Give each other space. Know when the other person needs to be alone. Every wife loves spending time with her husband, but sometimes after a long day at work she may need a bit of time alone to decompress from the day. Give her space, and let her come to you when she’s had time to breathe.

5. Have a girls’/guys’ night out. Fostering friendships outside of the marriage is an important part of any marriage. Your spouse should be your best friend, but you need friends who aren’t your husband or wife. Every happily married person needs friends to talk to, especially friends of the same gender.

6. Ask questions. It can be tempting to think you know everything about your husband or wife. After all, you may have been together for a long time, what else is there to learn? The truth is, however, that you can never know everything about a person’s life. So make the “getting-to-know-you” process something that lasts forever, and you’ll never be bored.

7. Trust. Truly happy couples don’t need to control each other. They have a level of understanding that the other person will always be true to them, no matter what. So trust your partner, and know that you can’t control everything that happens in the world. But you don’t need to. That’s what they’re there for!