You’ve probably heard the phrase – absence makes the heart grow fonder. In school or in work, if you’re absent too much, it could result in being reprimanded, or even expulsion or termination. Too much absence in a relationship can lead to feelings of abandonment, or an end to your relationship. But absence with moderation can also help lead to a healthy relationship with your significant other.
Even the most successful people know the importance of rest. Bodybuilders, even those who work out all the time, know that they need to rest in order for their muscles to grow. In a way, your relationship can be like a muscle. In order for it to grow, sometimes you and your partner need to rest.
Get a break
Loving someone or something doesn’t mean you have to be with them all the time. Eating ice cream for every meal surely isn’t sustainable, and you wouldn’t get anything done if you only had fun throughout the day. So, understand the value of a break, including with your significant other.
Even the people we love the most can get on our nerves, or require us to step away for a time. That’s not an indication of your or your partner’s personality. It just shows that you, like pretty much everyone else in the world, requires some alone time. So, be okay with that alone time.
Do what you love
Even if you have a ton of things in common with your significant other, it doesn’t mean you will love every single thing that the other does. There will probably be foods, or TV shows, hobbies, or friends that the two of you don’t have in common. So, when you spend time apart from your partner, you can use that time to appreciate the things that you love.
When you have time apart from your partner, you don’t have to think about it as a chance be away from them, but with something else. Watch the show you love – the one you don’t usually watch because your partner doesn’t like it. Order from the restaurant that your partner can’t stand, or listen to the music that you usually don’t around your partner because it gives them a headache. It doesn’t mean you have to hide things from your partner, but find ways to enjoy yourself when you’re not with your partner. Ultimately, it may help you appreciate these things better.
Appreciate each other
Have you ever gone without something for a long time only to end up missing it even more? Maybe you moved away from home, which helped you appreciate your hometown a little bit more when you moved home. Christmas would not be half as exciting if it came more than once a year, and you don’t go on vacations to places you spend a ton of time in.
Use the same logic when you spend time away from your significant other. Use that separation to grow in appreciation for that relationship you do have!
