Living with a partner can sometimes be a challenging experience. There’s a whole new lot of stuff to accommodate; from a new vinyl collection to the excess pots and pans. It’s entirely rewarding, but like most things, there can be some bumps in the road.
Here are a few things it helps to remember...
1. Talk it Out
Sometimes it is easier to storm out of an argument about where the new picture frame goes, it’s better to stick around and talk it out. Even the most trivial of things can be discussed over a cup of tea. Want to watch less television? Talk it over. Want to discuss holiday locations? Discussion is best. It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget when walking away when you don't get what you want feels so much easier.
2. Even buying kettles can be fun
If someone had warned me two years ago that I’d enjoy buying new kitchen appliances one day, I would have run away screaming. Now I even enjoy wandering around Lakeland. It’s one of those things that comes with property owning, but this year I’ve even asked for new saucepans for Christmas!
3. Space away from each other is good
When we first moved in together me and my partner spent every second together, thinking that it’s what we were supposed to do, desperately hiding the fact that we just wanted to read a book. Alone. Luckily that habit has been broken and we’ve been so much happier since. It’s vital to allow yourselves room to breathe and, you know, be your own person.
4. It’s nice to get naked alone, too.
In an absolutely similar note, it’s important to sometimes be naked alone together. I’m talking masturbation as well as just soaking in the tub. Stay connected to your own body and you’ll see it as yours, not just an instrument for their pleasure.
5. It’s not all fun and games.
Sometimes it is downright difficult to live with someone that you care for. Sometimes you are grumpy and sometimes their snoring keeps you up. It’s ultimately important to remember that you chose to live with them, because you love them. It isn’t all fun and games, but the unpredictable nature of it, can sometimes be… well… fun.
Honorary mention; Not everyone loves mashed potato.
At the end of this, it is vital to keep at the forefront of your mind that it’s not the end of the world when little things go wrong. It’s not even the end of the world when little things go wrong and you make a big deal of it. Anecdote time; I really like mashed potato, and recently my partner threw away some leftover mashed potato. Small thing? No. No way. I proceeded to shout, “Who throws away mashed potato?” at him. For ten minutes. Who, you ask? Well, he does. Now I have to remind myself often that, not everyone feels quite so passionately about the buttery, carby goodness of mashed potato.
Image via Neil Higgins - if you're the original photographer of this brilliant masterpiece of a photo, please get in touch and we'll source it properly. Bloody Pinterest.