A happy and lasting relationship is not without challenges. It’s not one without fights and arguments. It’s not one that can be likened to fairytale happy endings because no such thing exists. A successful relationship is an imperfect relationship, yet it is a happy and meaningful one because a couple makes the little things count; because they work on their differences; because they don’t give up on their love without a fight. The journey is not easy to navigate but here are some helpful pieces of advice on how to build a successful relationship.

Always tell your partner you love them

While it’s true that actions speak louder than words, it’s still important to remind your partner that you love them. Never stop telling them how much they mean to you. Verbalize your feelings and let them know you love them even on random days or at random times. Letting them know they are constantly loved is key to building trust and security in the relationship.

Communicate effectively

Communicating effectively is another important step to building a successful relationship. You can never expect your partner to read your mind. If there are things that bother you, be sure to speak up and let your partner know. Don’t hold them back or resentment might just grow in your heart.

In the same way, be sure to listen to your partner when they tell you something that concerns them. Listen intently and make sure you understand the message they’re trying to get across. Don’t just listen to prepare a response or to defend yourself. Listen so you understand where they’re coming from and be able to meet halfway.

Create a foundation of trust

Just like love, trust is a vital element in a healthy relationship. A relationship without trust is doomed to fail so if you want yours to last, create a foundation of trust. So how do you do it? Start by making sure you’re not keeping anything from each other. No secrets, no lies. Be open and honest. Tell each other everything. Also, be trustworthy. Do not do anything that will break your partner’s trust. Stay away from things that will cultivate jealousy and doubts.

Show constant appreciation

It always feels good to know that someone appreciates you. It motivates you to do and strive to be better. Therefore, don’t forget to let your partner know what you appreciate about them. Tell each other what you love most, no matter how little these things are. Thank them even for the tiniest things they do for you. Doing this will help both of you overlook each other’s flaws and appreciate your strengths better.

Respect each other

Couples in a romantic relationship don’t necessarily share the same values and principles. In fact, they may have contrasting beliefs about a lot of things. But don’t worry. That’s perfectly okay. Loving someone doesn’t mean you have to accept the things they believe in even if they oppose yours. This is where respect comes in.

Discuss the things about your relationship that make you feel uncomfortable. Agree to disagree. Even if you disagree on things, be sure to have mutual respect. Look for a common ground and try to meet halfway.

Spend quality time together

Spending quality time as a couple means more than just sitting next to each other and spending hours getting lost in the world of social media. Quality time means enjoying each other’s company. Find time for the things that help strengthen your bond as a couple. Even if it’s just as simple as watching the sunset or doing a movie marathon, what’s important is you’re sharing a fun experience together.

Let each other grow

Being a romantic couple doesn’t mean that your world should only revolve around each other. Give yourselves space and allow each other to grow. Spend time on other things that matter. Have your own hobbies and spend some time apart. Support each other’s dreams and aspirations instead of pressuring each other to give up the things that matter to them.

There are no shortcuts to achieving a successful relationship. It is something you create and nurture day by day as you work with your partner. If you want the kind of relationship that lasts, the kind that is strong enough to overcome the hurdles and the kind that will make you say “this is everything I need”, these are the tips to bear in mind.

For more tips on dating and relationships, please feel free to visit Simply Dating.

Whether you’re lucky enough to be with your partner as much as you want to or you have to endure being thousands of miles apart, all relationships require effort, patience, commitment and trust. However, things can be quite harder when you’re in a long distance relationship. In fact, this could be one of the most difficult situations anyone could get into. Embracing the fact that you can’t always be with your significant other is already disheartening, let alone dealing with the other challenges that long distance relationships entail. To make this relationship work, one of the most important elements should be present – trust. Keep reading and learn how to build trust in a long distance relationship and strengthen your bond as a couple.

Get to know your partner well

Embracing the fact that you can’t always be with your significant other is already disheartening, let alone dealing with the other challenges that long distance relationships entail. To make this relationship work, one of the most important elements should be present – trust. Keep reading and learn how to build trust in a long distance relationship and strengthen your bond as a couple.

And this doesn’t mean it’s enough to be familiar with their favorite movies, food and music. Get to know your partner on a deeper level. Understand them, learn more about their values and the things they believe in. Make time for more meaningful conversations every chance you get. Pay close attention to the things they say even with the non verbal cues. Keep asking questions and use different methods of communication. Talk on the phone, chat or send emails, or do video calls when you both have time.

Make communication a priority

Making sure that you’re communicating with your partner on a daily basis can be quite a challenge, especially when you’re in a different timezone. However, this is a must if you want to build trust in your relationship. It doesn’t mean you have to spend hours and hours talking on the phone every day but at least find time to check on each other.

Regular communication is one of the things that will help sustain your relationship. Set schedules for when you can make a call. Give each other updates on what’s going on, share amusing stories that happened in your day or simply remind each other of your love despite the distance.

Be open with your partner

A healthy relationship requires honesty and openness. Whether they’re issues about your relationship, personal problems or things that bother you, don’t be scared to open up about them. Your partner should always be the first one to know if there’s anything that concerns you and your relationship. Also, it’s important that they do the same. Encourage them to be open to you, too. Be the best of friends besides being lovers. It will further cultivate trust in the relationship.

Give them space

You probably miss your partner so much that you want to spend every minute talking to them when you’re miles apart. That’s normal. However, it’s important that you give each other space and time to enjoy your individual lives. The world doesn’t stop revolving just because of the distance that keeps you away from each other. Learn how to enjoy the lives you have even if you’re far apart. There are other important things and people who also need your time and attention. Never pressure your partner to give more than they can. Allow each other space to grow and be happy.

Commit to the relationship

Like trust, commitment is just as important to keep a long distance relationship going. It’s crucial that you and your partner are fully committed and devoted to your relationship. You both should exert the same amount of time, effort and energy to keep the bond strong. Don’t do anything that’s going to break each other’s trust.

Have faith in each other

This is easier said than done, especially when you don’t get to be with your partner as often as you want. This is where mutual trust comes in. Never make false assumptions of your partner being unfaithful. Don’t accuse them of cheating or wanting to cheat because this is where things will start to fall apart. If you are both honest and committed to the relationship, there’s nothing you should worry about. However, if certain things make you anxious, be mature and talk it over with your partner without judgment. This will help ease your worries and avoid causing irreparable damage to the relationship.

Long distance relationships are difficult and this isn’t anything new. But by cultivating trust in the relationship, you can beat the challenges and come out stronger and happier as a couple.

For more tips on dating and relationships, or if you’ve yet to find your ideal match, please feel free to visit Simply Dating.

Most people think that chemistry is something that just magically happens. While it can be true in certain situations, chemistry does not happen by accident. Chemistry is something that is built over time. Before we dig deeper into the topic of how to build chemistry in a relationship, let us first understand what chemistry is really all about.

Chemistry is one of the most crucial elements of a relationship. It is that feeling you get knowing that you and your partner are perfectly comfortable with each other. It is more than just a physical connection or an attraction, however. Chemistry is that spark that draws a person to another. Body language is important in creating chemistry. Eye contact, for one, is very helpful. However, there is more to it than just that.

Of course, relationships are built on respect, trust, loyalty, common ground, and a lot more. Can it still be called a relationship if you have all these factors but no chemistry? What does it take to build strong chemistry – the kind that will make that other person fall in love and stay with you?

Read on to learn more about effective ways to build chemistry in a relationship and ignite that flame between you and your potential partner.

Build a good rapport

A good rapport is important in every relationship. It is believed to be the core foundation upon which chemistry is built. To increase the chemistry between you and your partner, focus on building rapport.

The task of building a rapport is quite simple. Pick a topic that both of you can easily bond over. Don’t linger on a topic that dwells too much on heavy issues and may cause stress. Discussing light topics associated with fun and pleasure is a sure way to build good rapport. You will be surprised how comfortable you feel towards each other after the date.

Pay close attention to body language

Paying attention to someone is an important aspect when building a connection. Body language is one thing that should not be ignored. Always pay close attention to your date. Listen with your ears and see with your eyes. Do not just listen – hear them out. Knowing that they are being ignored will make your date lose interest in an instant. When they are telling you something, acknowledge, nod in agreement, add to it or anything at all that will make them feel that you care enough to listen.

Also, do not forget to pay attention to how they move and their facial expressions. The way they respond to you when you say or do something will give you a lot of information about how your date feels towards you. Return the gesture if they make an effort to reach out by holding your hands or caress you.

Chemistry is easily mistaken as merely a surface attraction. The truth is that it goes a lot deeper. Let your date know that you really care about who they are deep inside. You will be surprised by how comfortable they feel opening up and letting you in after that.

Be expressive

Creating chemistry is impossible if the other person has no idea about the real you. Refrain from keeping thoughts and opinions to yourself. Scared that your date will run off upon knowing some facts about you? Do not be. That will just show that they are not willing to accept you for who you really are.

During discussions, make it a point to let yourself be heard. Do not be afraid to share your opinions about important and relevant topics. Honesty can make a person fall head over heels in love.

Focus on the moment

If you are a worrier, you should probably stop right now. Get out of your head and try not to overthink every situation. When you over analyze every interaction – what has been said and done – you are not fully present in the moment. Chances are, you can’t notice what is happening right in front of you.

One way to overcome this situation is to engage in an activity – one that will make you interact with your date on a more personal level. Rather than going to a movie or a romantic dinner date, go for something more fun. It will help you both relax and feel more comfortable towards each other.

Chemistry in a relationship, whether a budding or long-term one is hard to maintain and harder to develop. With the right mindset and guidance, you will make it. If you want to know how to build more chemistry in a relationship, visit Simply Dating.

A perfect relationship doesn’t exist. You can never find a couple who doesn’t run into some bumps or doesn’t have to deal with some rough patches. Each and every relationship has its ups and downs. And if you feel like your relationship is on the brink and have been going through a lot of arguments and misunderstandings lately, you are not alone. Not only are relationship problems exhausting but they can be emotionally and mentally draining, too. However, contrary to what many people resort to doing, breaking up and giving up on each other shouldn’t be the immediate solution. Read on and learn how to solve relationship problems without breaking up.

Don’t think about leaving the relationship

We always want the easy way out. We feel so bad about the relationship that we just want to escape and leave the stressful situation behind. Then, days will go by and you’ll ask yourself whether or not you made the right decision.

If there’s any question you need to ask yourself, it should be “how badly do I want to save our relationship?” Before making any abrupt decision, think about how much you love the person and how much you value your relationship. If you have to think about it a hundred times over, go ahead and do it. If you want to grow together rather than grow apart, don’t even think about giving up.

Accept the fact that your relationship isn’t perfect

No relationship is perfect and yours doesn’t have to be either. This is the real world and not a fairy tale and that’s okay. You and your partner are just humans capable of making mistakes and wrong decisions sometimes.

Confront your relationship problems

Instead of turning your back to your relationship problems, face them head-on. Find the best time to sit down with your partner and confront whatever is causing the issues. At this point, it’s extremely important to be honest to yourselves and to each other. Lay all the cards on the table and share the things you both love and dislike about each other. Take turns and listen attentively. Be receptive to each other’s feedback. As you go through this process, embrace the fact that both you and your partner are not perfect individuals. Therefore, you have to decide what things can be forgiven and let go of and the ones that stand as the dealbreakers.

Don’t play the blame game

It’s true what they say, that it takes two to tango. Whatever happens in your relationship is the result of the actions of two people – you and your partner. You are both responsible for what happened, what is happening and what will happen in the future. Instead of putting all the blame to your partner, ask yourself if you are doing your part. Was there anything you’ve done that drove them to make those mistakes? How did you react afterward?

While it’s important to recognize your role in the problem, it’s equally important to accept the fact that people will still mess up even if you did everything right. In situations like this, remember never to blame yourself especially when you know you’ve done everything to make things right.

Give each other space

Don’t force conversations when things are still heated and you and your partner are still not in the mood for talking. Let the anger and emotions subside before trying to resolve your issues. Give each other adequate space and time to collect and process thoughts. Silence can help both of you calm down so you can think things over. No one should decide how long the break should take, both you and your partner should take all the time you need.

Have faith in your love

When you reach a point in your relationship where giving up is the easiest thing to do, don’t. Increase understanding, stretch your patience a little further and have a little more faith. All couples go through problems and challenges but the ones who surpassed everything in the end are those who had faith in their love and relationship.

No one has a perfect love story and that’s okay. Problems and rough patches will always be there to test your bond. At the end of the day, what matters is how you hold on to each other and how you solve your relationship problems without breaking up.

Need more tips on dating and relationships? Please feel free to visit Simply Dating.