Becoming a parent often means that your relationship takes a back seat for a while as all your focus and energy are directed toward the baby. While this is a natural shift, it can leave you feeling distant from your partner and isolated in the whirlwind of emotions that come with a child's birth. If you find that you've drifted apart, one way to reconnect is by showing more love.
Read on for psychologist Veronika Palm's advice on how to express love effectively — and download the LEIA Health app for personalized guidance and support before and after childbirth.
How to show love the right way?
Feeling loved and appreciated is crucial for happiness in a relationship. Many expressions of love act as a buffer against relationship friction.
When both of you feel loved and your relationship is thriving, that loving foundation in all your interactions can make conflicts less heated, and you'll have more tolerance for each other's quirks.
Thus, every relationship benefits from a regular dose of love gestures.
If you sense that you've grown distant or that your relationship mainly revolves around diaper changes and feedings, showing more love can be a way to reconnect. It doesn't involve grand romantic gestures or meticulously planned dates, as you barely have time for those with a newborn at home. Instead, it's about small daily signs of affection that bring you closer together.
Different love languages
Many people may overlook the love signs their partner shows them because they often express love in the way they prefer to receive it. To show love the right way — meaning the way your partner desires it — you must identify when and how your partner feels loved.
" It's not about grand romantic gestures or meticulously planned dates, as you barely have time for those with a newborn at home. Instead, it's about small daily signs of affection that bring you closer together."
Exercise for expressing love effectively
Sit down together and rank the following statements based on when you feel most loved:
When you want to be physically close to me through actions like hugging, having sex, holding hands, cuddling, and so on.
When you offer small, thoughtful, and personal surprises and gifts.
When you do things that make me happy without me asking, like preparing a meal or changing a diaper to give me a break.
When you prioritize our time together and give me your undivided attention.
When you give me compliments and express your love.
Try to show each other small signs of love in the way the other person desires as often as possible. A quick hug or words of appreciation can mean a lot!
Comentários