Think for a moment about how you are with your best friend. Do you care for them and respect them? Are you considerate of them, confide in them, and look to go to them when something great or not so great happens in your life? Usually, this is how a friendship works.
I find that couples who are "best friends" have a successful & happy relationship. They have respect for one another, know each other on an intimate level and enjoy one another's company. They know each other's likes, dislikes, dreams, goals, and quirky parts to their personalities. They hold one another in a certain regard and express their appreciate, fondness and thankfulness to one another on a daily basis.
I often hear couples say they feel like they lack friendship in their relationship, and not only do they long for it, but do not know how to create it. So how do you build a friendship into your relationship? You may want to start with working on your communication....bring it to a different level. How do you do that? Well here are some helpful ways you and your partner can try and work on.
Ask each other open ended questions. What I mean by this, is a question that requires more than a yes or no as the response. Try to go deeper with each other during your conversation. Don't take "it was good" as an answer. Be curious; ask each other questions like, "What was so good about it" Or you can even say, "Tell me something exciting that happened today."
Tell stories! We all have tons of stories from when we were kids, teenagers, and young adults. Share your stories. These stories help build closeness and understanding of one another.
Treat each other with respect! Speak nicely to each other! Cut out the negative nasty language and replace it with positive caring language.
Be helpful to one another; work as a team and not against each other.
Acknowledge one another; let your partner know what you appreciate about them and give thanks.
My Thought:
Remember, some of the things you want to see in your relationship do not just appear, you must work at it..... Create it!
