Bride's Guide: Making Resolutions as a Couple

Staying with a long-term partner means embracing whatever the future holds for both of you. That might mean you face challenges as a couple, but it also means you’ll experience personal growth alongside each other.

Making resolutions as a couple can strengthen your relationship or marriage, so check out a few tips to ease into change.

You might dream about your future together, like purchasing a house or starting a family. Everyone also needs resolutions for themselves to encourage healthy personal growth that strengthens your partnership.

Sit down with your partner or spouse to discuss what you want for your future. You may find that you both want similar things or can create ways to support each other.

Making resolutions as a couple is a learning experience. It may take time to get used to things and that’s okay. It’ll be easier to adjust alongside your partner if you can let go of assumptions.

You might expect your partner to understand what you need because you’ve been together for years. They might assume that you won’t approve of their resolution because it’s not something you’re interested in. When you catch an assumption, dismantle the biggest ones together and strive to prevent them from causing problems again.

Many resolutions will result in long-term lifestyle changes. To provide just one example, your partner may want to join the MMA, but that isn’t something you can do during a few free minutes every day. You’ll likely find new sources of motivation by beginning a daily journal or meeting with an instructor multiple times per week.

Lifestyle changes will affect both people in a relationship. Talk about what you need to accomplish your goals so no one gets caught by surprise and forced into an arrangement that doesn’t work for everyone involved.

Sometimes you’ll have to put your partner’s needs first. You might sacrifice a few extra minutes of sleep because they need to wake up early to train for a future marathon. They could give up their favorite snacks for a month because you want to eat healthier.

Consciously decide to prioritize what your partner needs from you to achieve their goals. It will help avoid arguments that could discourage both of you from setting resolutions again.

Everyone receives encouragement differently. Some people may need a helping hand while they start working on a new habit, while others might need some personal space to figure things out for themselves. Reflect on how you and your partner felt encouraged in the past to find new ways to effectively support each other while pushing towards your dreams.

Don’t wait for the year to end before making resolutions as a couple. These tips make it easy to identify your personal goals and work together to make life more enjoyable while strengthening your relationship.