A relationship is akin to a living, breathing thing. It will only thrive when the people within the relationship take enough care to see that it remains healthy and beneficial for all people. One of the best ways to make this happen is to practice mindfulness. We are going to show you how you can integrate this concept into your partnership to make it happier and healthier for both members.
What is Mindfulness?
Before we get into how you can exercise mindfulness in your everyday life, you should learn what comprises mindfulness. For most people, thinking about mindfulness as a form of meditation can be helpful. You try your hardest to press the pause button on all the extraneous distractions in your life so that you can focus on what is truly important. Mostly, you are learning how to live in the moment and be mindful of your thoughts, actions, and feelings.
The practice of mindfulness is understanding your personal thought process so that you can learn why you react in certain ways and help steer your thoughts and actions to useful motions. Moreover, mindfulness is a way of controlling your emotions, so they are not the only thing guiding your actions. As we said, mindfulness is best cultivated as a form of meditation, but it should become second nature over time.
Why Partners Should Be Mindful
What use is this line of thinking, though? Why do you need to be mindful when you are in a relationship? Well, the truth of the matter is that most people tend to consider relationships as a completely one-sided thing. They are in a relationship to get something out of it. Even someone who is not entirely selfish can have a selfish attitude towards romance. It’s easy to fall into the habit of being a “taker” in terms of the relationship. You want love, attention, intimacy, and all the benefits that come with being together with someone. That is not to say you do not give anything to your partner in return, only that you are not mindful of what your actions look like to your partner.
Thus, a partner should always try to be mindful because it makes them a better partner. They will start to see the relationship as something that both individuals need to work on to make it successful. Moreover, a mindful person can look past their ego and start to consider how best to fix a problem with as little drama as possible. You will become a better partner, and you can strengthen the relationship so that it is harder for life to drive you apart.
How to Exercise Mindfulness
When you consider what mindfulness can do for a relationship and why partners should be mindful, you must ask, “How can I enact mindfulness on a daily basis?” The question of how to exercise mindfulness throughout your life is an important one. That is why we have come up with four unique ways that you can demonstrate mindfulness throughout your life and get the very best results from it. Take a look at each and consider practicing them in the framework of your personal relationship.
Understand your desires and core values
First off, you must consider your desires and values when you are exercising mindfulness within your relationship. What does that even mean? The desires you have for the relationship are the short and long-term goals that you have for the partnership. These can take many different forms. Some people want to see if their partner is marriage material, and others already being married but desiring a new challenge, like homeownership or having children. You must understand your values to make this a reality, though. This personal form of mindfulness can be achieved by personal meditation and learning.
Get rid of toxic and abusive inclinations
The most wonderful gift that is imparted to mindful people is the chance to build up (or establish) their empathy toward their partner. Many people have abusive inclinations that are built into their minds. For example, what happens if your partner wants to go out and spend a night with friends while you’re home alone? Do you get angry? Will you not talk to your partner for a day because of the hurt they imparted to you? If that’s the case, then you need mindfulness to give you the empathy to understand their position.
That is the only way you can learn how to understand their motivations and needs to have a fun night out. They’re not trying to hurt you; they just want to spend some time with their friends. Learning about the abusive tendencies and toxic elements of your personality by using mindfulness to garner empathy for your partner will lead you to happiness.
Become whole persons and not two halves
A relationship is built from two whole people trying to become one. At least, that is the sense that many people have of interpersonal relationships. They want to function and unite as one on as many topics as possible. Rather than attempting this, you should use mindfulness to become the best version of yourself. That way, the parts you bring to the relationship are uniquely you and still beneficial to the overall partnership. You need to be two whole people in a relationship instead of trying to fit parts of two people together.
Fight the problems, don’t fight each other
When you are angry at your partner, you might feel as though you need to justify your position and argue. Remember that your relationship comes down to you and your partner against the problems you’re facing. It is never you against your partner. Find the root of the problem and work together to conquer it. When you are in a relationship, being a mindful individual can help a great deal. Using these methods and justifications, you should learn how best to be mindful in your daily life and beyond. Both you and your partner will benefit from taking a mindful approach to your partnership and life as a whole.