All relationships have a series of turning points that couples must negotiate.
Whilst couples are working out how to be together and yet still be two individuals, other changes will also be demanding their attention. All relationships have a series of turning points and hurdles they must get over. At each of these turning points practical changes in the couple's lifestyle will need to be made. There are also less obvious challenges to the couple's relationship.
Sometimes unexpected events have a big impact on a relationship.
Nobody knows what the future holds. Many couples find themselves faced with unexpected changes in their lives that present a challenge or threat to their relationship.
Common examples are migration, an inheritance or business failure that has a big impact on the financial situation or a serious illness or death, perhaps of a child.
Being able to handle conflict and deal with differences is important in maintaining healthy relationships.
Everyone who is in a relationship or cares about their relationships may need assistance at some time to:
Developing and maintaining relationships is a life-long commitment. After a time, we too easily assume that we know our partner, their thoughts and their intentions. Our knowledge of our partner is rarely complete. Allow yourself the honesty to accept this incompleteness.
Whatever your age or experience your relationships will present you with new and demanding challenges.
To help you meet these challenges, we have grouped information around several topic areas that people commonly ask us about.
Even healthy relationships need help from time to time.
Has your relationship lost the spark that it had when you first met? Do you daydream about that romantic relationship with the person of your dreams and yet it never seems to come true? Or is your relationship a bit humdrum? There aren't problems. It's just that there is no excitement to make you want to rush out on a Friday evening.
Some people believe that:
Defining what makes a fulfilling, intimate relationship.
A 'good adult relationship' means different things to different people. And there are many different kinds of relationships. The couple relationship may be the most important one in our society. It is often the main relationship in people's lives; it is the basis of a family (and this is the place where most of us learn about adult love, about negotiation, about how to change and how to compromise), and it is often an economic unit.
It's important to make time to talk to your partner about how your relationship is going.
Ask yourselves these questions then check your answers with your partner:
Learn about how to make changes to improve your relationship.
In long-term relationships, we often assume we know all there is to know about our partners. But people change. It is very easy to lose that connection, and not know where our partner is at now, or who they are now. In order to maintain a connection or to re-establish one, with your partner, you could:
Relationships have many different aspects. For example:
An example of a couple who find it hard to communicate.
Some people are better communicators than others. This does not mean that people who find communication difficult can manage without it. John and Louise were typical of a couple who found communication difficult.
