Whether you are in a romantic relationship or newly dating, every relationship can benefit from gifts of love. Gifts come from the heart with the other person in mind. Most partners give tangible gifts to show their love, which is also great! This type of gift giving usually only happens a few times a year during special occasions.
So what happens between those tangible gifts? I encourage couples to demonstrate easy everyday gifts of love for their relationship.
Think of a relationship as a plant that grows to its fullest potential when it’s nourished everyday. Some days the plant needs water, some days sunlight and some days you may need to just connect with your plant by talking to it or touching it so it thrives.
Like nurturing a plant, gifts of love don’t cost a thing but can be so rewarding for your relationship.
With awareness, intentionality and effort any partner can practice these 3 easy everyday gifts of love to keep your relationship strong and growing:
- Validation – Gifting your partner with validation helps acknowledge and affirm their feelings are valid and accepted by you. Here are some easy examples, “it makes sense you feel that way,” “what you’re thinking is totally normal,” “I would like to hear more.”
- Reflective Listening – Gifting your partner with reflective listening makes them feel truly heard and their message understood. Reflective listening also reduces the risk of conflict. Here is an easy example, “so what I hear you saying is……(restate what you heard)”
- Empathy – The gift of empathy is the ability to understand your partner’s thoughts and feelings from their perspective. I like to say it’s the ability to put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Here are some easy examples, “I can see how you would feel that way”, “that must have been very upsetting to you”, “I would feel the same way.”
Written by: Porsha Jones
