It’s common for your marriage to be swallowed up by the activity of life after careers, kids, and life overshadows the romance that was once there.
You and your partner might find yourselves in these situations, playing out your responsibilities or simply “doing what is expected” of you. This means you may not be going the extra mile to care for and nourish your relationship like when you first met.
First, you need to understand that this is totally normal and expected. However, if your relationship stays in this rut for an extended period of time, you or your spouse may begin to feel lonely, unnoticed, and even taken for granted.
Continue reading to learn how to prevent these sentiments from arising in the first place, as well as how to handle them if you’re the one who feels taken for granted.
How To Avoid Feelings Of Being Overlooked
To have the sense of being VISIBLE
To prevent your partner from feeling taken for granted, you have to make them feel visible. This means showing them that they are seen and that their contributions to the family are appreciated.
Feelings of being overlooked can develop as feelings of loneliness, and a great solution to this is to make them feel VISIBLE.
To have a sense of VALUE
Another thing you can do to keep your spouse from feeling taken for granted is to make them feel valued. This goes hand in hand with visibility since not only do their efforts need to be visible, but they also need to be valued and believed to be important in the way your relationship and family function.
The Key To Making Your Partner Feel Visible And Valued
It simply takes one easy method to make your partner feel visible and valued:
Include Observations In Your Statements
If you include a remark of gratitude at the conclusion of your statement, you will receive extra points. This is critical since so much of what we do to keep our families and relationships running is unseen.
Consider how many things you do all through the day that no one notices, let alone appreciates. This is why statements that include observations are so crucial.
Here are some examples:
“I just would like you to know that I see just how much you go out of your way to make the holidays memorable for our family; you’re racing about taking care of everybody, and I see it.”
“I know I don’t understand all you do at work, but I do see what it offers for us and our family.”
“Your input is crucial, and I just want you to know that I recognize and value it.”
“I saw how exhausted you were tonight, but you still managed to get dinner on the table and look after us.”