In-Between Sessions: Practical Relationship Advice For Couples In Therapy
Are you seeking relationship advice for couples looking to strengthen their bond? Whether you've just started your journey together or have weathered life's storms, maintaining a thriving and healthy relationship takes effort. In this article, we'll delve into practical strategies and tips to help you work on your relationship in-between couple therapy sessions. Discover how small, intentional actions can make a big difference in nurturing your connection and fostering lasting love.
5 Practical Relationship Advice For Couples In Therapy
Work on Couples Therapy Homework
Your therapist may often assign specific tasks or exercises to help you and your partner address and resolve your issues. These assignments are tailored to your unique challenges and can include communication exercises, conflict resolution techniques, or self-reflection worksheets or tasks. By diligently completing these assignments together, you actively engage in a healing process and reinforce the lessons learned during your therapy sessions. It can also lead to more productive discussions with your therapist during future sessions. Ultimately, couples therapy homework serves as a valuable bridge between sessions, helping you apply the strategies and insights gained from the therapy sessions to your daily life and, in turn, strengthening your relationship.
Speak Your Partner’s Love Language (Or All 5!)
You and your partner might share an intense love for each other, but that feeling may be miscommunicated or lost in translation if you don’t speak their love language. When you log on online or drive to meet your couples therapist and during the sessions, you are communicating to your partner that you love them enough to work through your differences and strive for a healthy relationship, that you want to protect your love. Outside of your sessions, you still need to reassure each other by expressing your love and respect to the other person in the way they know to recognize it. For this reason, it is crucial to learn how your partner enjoys to love and be loved.
What is your partner’s love language? It should be any one or a number of the following:
1. Words of affirmation (i.e., saying “I love you” often, recognizing and appreciating their efforts, affirming their strengths, or encouraging them when they are low via written post-its, cards, or texts.)
2. Quality time (e.g., creating and sticking to daily rituals, cooking together, going on date nights regularly, taking walks, watching a movie together, and putting away distractions when you are together.)
3. Physical touch (i.e., Letting them be touchy-feely with you, spoiling them with back hugs, kisses, and cuddles, and prioritizing your sex life.)
4. Acts of service (e.g., breakfast in bed, dropping off or picking them up at work, giving them a foot massage at the end of a long day, and helping out with some household chores or errands, especially one they dislike and at times when they are feeling overwhelmed.)
5. Receiving gifts (i.e., setting reminders for special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries and bringing them thoughtful gifts—big or small—even when there is no planned event.)
Knowing your partner’s love language doesn’t mean you can’t communicate with them using other languages, especially if you love to speak another. Most importantly, putting in extra effort to express yourself in all five love languages can ensure the wellness of your relationship
Practice Mindfulness
While in couples therapy, your therapist may encourage you and your partner to be fully present in the present moment while working out (i.e., acknowledging, accepting, and forgiving) painful past experiences and discussing ways to leverage your strengths to rebuild communication, trust, and love moving forward. Where many couples fail is that they go back home and stop being so mindful of each other. When applied to relationships, mindfulness means giving your partner your undivided attention, listening actively, and being aware of your thoughts and emotions without reacting impulsively.
Cultivating mindfulness in your everyday life as an individual has many benefits, including:
1. Lowered stress levels
2. Reduced rumination and mental suffering
3. Better decision making
4. Reduced anxiety and depression
5. Lowered blood pressure
6. Enhanced flexible thinking
7. Increased optimism
8. Better sleep
9. Heightened sense of gratitude, and
10. Improved emotional self-regulation and intelligence, among many mental and physical health perks.
You can already imagine that practicing mindfulness with your partner can be a game-changer. It is undoubtedly one of the best relationship advice for couples who argue a lot.
Not only will you both learn to identify stressors and explore relaxation methods, but you’ll also become empathetic, patient, gracious, and less defensive or fault-finding towards each other. By staying mindful, you can better recognize and manage your emotional reactions and avoid escalating disagreements.
Practicing mindfulness together, such as through meditation or deep breathing exercises, can also be a bonding experience that helps you both relax and connect on a deeper level. So, make it a habit to pause, breathe, and be fully present when interacting with your partner. This simple yet profound practice can create a more harmonious and fulfilling relationship.
● Practice Communication and Gratitude
Effective communication and gratitude are a dynamic duo for nurturing a resilient and healthy relationship. As you may already know, effective communication is a two-way street, so it doesn't only involve expressing your thoughts and feelings honestly but also actively listening to your significant other. It's about creating an open, safe, and supportive space for sharing where both partners feel heard and understood.
Additionally, incorporating gratitude into your communication can work wonders; It'll have you returning to future therapy sessions happier and with fewer challenges—or an improved perception of them—than you came with. Regularly expressing appreciation for your partner's actions, qualities, or efforts can foster a sense of validation and connection. It reminds both of you why you appreciate each other or fell in love in the first place and reinforces the positives in your relationship.
Set aside dedicated time for open, honest, and non-confrontational conversations. Express your gratitude for the little things your partner does. Small gestures of acknowledgment can go a long way in building goodwill and strengthening your bond.
● Have Steamy, Satisfying Sex
When couples engage in steamy, satisfying sex, it can reignite your flame, strengthen their emotional bond, boost their confidence, and reduce stress. So, make intimacy a priority in your relationship, and you'll find it can contribute significantly to your overall happiness and connection and, in turn, ensure your relationship wellness.
So, light up sweet-smelling aromatherapy candles — oils such as sandalwood, lavender, ginger, Ylang Ylang, patchouli, rose, jasmine, and cinnamon have proven to be great aphrodisiacs for a sweet, affectionate time under the sheets. Play some sensual music, try roleplay, build sexual tension throughout the day using words, eye contact, non-sexual touch, and go on ahead to ease into some mind blowing sex with your partner.
Remember that having steamy and satisfying sex is not just about physical pleasure. The goal is to be vulnerable, honest, and affectionate, thereby fostering feelings of love, trust and true connectedness.
If you’re looking for more customized help on navigating the complexities of your relationship, consider booking an appointment TODAY with Whitney B. Therapy, PLLC.
References
1. Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2012). What are the benefits of mindfulness? American Psychological Association. Retrieved October 1, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner
2. DiDonato, J. (2023, April 4). 16 Aphrodisiac Scents That Set the Mood. Byrdie. Retrieved. September 29, 2023, from https://www.byrdie.com/aphrodisiac-scents-4767653
