12 Ways to Help Save Your Relationship

No matter how hard we try, we're just not going to be able to change another person. Instead of trying to change your significant other, maybe you should take some time to look in the mirror and figure out what things you could change about yourself.

None of us are perfect, and before we even think about pointing the finger at someone else, we should take a careful look at ourselves, and worry about getting some things done in our own lives before trying to convince others that they need to make some changes in theirs.

When we take the time to make necessary changes in our own lives, not only will we have a better perspective on things, but we will also be able to change our relationships with others. We can't change our neighbors, our friends, and our loved ones, but we can change ourselves, and when we take the time to make those changes in our lives, we can change the ways in which others interact with us.

This one is self explanatory, unless of course you thought I was talking about getting away from your significant other.  No, instead take some time to get away somewhere with your significant other. 

Take the day off, go away for a weekend, or even just for an afternoon.  Get some alone time with your significant other where the two of you can have some privacy and just be together. 

It would be a good idea to do this every month, if you are unable to do it about every week or so.  Don't neglect your significant other.  Make some plans, and get alone together. 

Writing is a great way to express how you feel.  In this day and age we don't have a lot of instances where we would need to write a love letter to someone, but back in the day that is just what they did. 

Once in a while, you might try writing your significant other a love letter.  It doesn't have to be long and involved if you don't want it to be.  It could even be a short note that you leave somewhere where your significant other will come across it at some point during the day. 

Share your feelings, share your love, and be closer to your significant other through the age old process of writing. 

Everyone loves to have fun, and everyone likes to compete for something or other at some point in their life.  This should be no different when it comes to your relationship. 

Play games, play some sports, have some contests, and just plain do things that are fun, but may also allow you and your significant other to be competitive. 

Don't be jealous, don't be envious, and don't be intimidated.  Just have fun, and you and your significant other will have a better relationship in the process.    

Remember when you and your significant other first met?  What did you do?  What did you say?  Remember the courtship, the dates, the fun? 

If you are married, remember the engagement and the days leading up to the wedding?  Remember the wedding itself, and the honeymoon, and other great times that the two of you have had together since. 

Share some of these great times with your significant other, talk about them, laugh about them, and just remember them together.  Every couple has moments that they love to remember.  Dwell on those moments with your significant other, and you just might rekindle some old feelings that the two of you had together.   

Eventually relationships usually tend to become kind of predictable.  To help keep this from happening you may want to try something new every once in a while with your significant other. 

Go sky diving, scuba diving, mountain climbing, biking, hiking, snow boarding, skiing, surfing, boating, swimming, etc...  You get the idea.  It doesn't have to be something extreme, but just make sure that it's something that the both of you might enjoy doing. 

Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.  Without ever doing anything different, you are just hoping that everything will stay the same, which it may not, so get out there and try some new things with your significant other. 

This is a good one. In any relationship there needs to be love and respect on both sides, but usually men need to concentrate on the love, and women need to concentrate on the respect.

In most cases women need to know on a daily basis that their men love them. Men may think that once in a while is good enough, but women need to hear it and know it on a daily basis.

On the other hand, while most men would not question that their women love them, they would question whether or not they are really respected by them. Women may think that men can take on anything when it comes to their feelings, but if they lose the respect of their women, it really does hurt.

Men need to focus on loving their women, and women need to focus on respecting their men. This is why the Apostle Paul said, "Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:33)

When you neglect your significant other, bad things tend to happen.  Now, we are all accountable for our own choices, however, you don't want to put your significant other in a position where he or she has to choose to spend time alone or with someone else. 

Family always comes first.  Make sure that your man or woman knows that on a daily basis by spending time with them instead of placing your priorities in other areas. 

Don't get me wrong, it's okay to work, it's okay to have friends, and it's okay do do things without your significant other, but do not neglect.  Make sure that your communication is crystal clear on this one between you and your significant other.  Spending time with your family is always the number one choice.   

There will probably be several times throughout the day when you and your significant other will think about each other, even though you may be apart.  Sometimes when this happens, instead of just thinking about it, let your man or woman know that you are thinking of them. 

This is beneficial for both men and women in relationships, but it is probably the women who enjoy this the most.  Give her a call, leave her a message, and just let her know that you were thinking about her, and that you wanted to take a moment out of your day to let her know how special she is, and what she means to you. 

In most cases, this will drive your woman wild, and she will be waiting to see you again later on to let you know how much she appreciated hearing from you. 

In most relationships touching can go a long way, but it doesn't always have to lead to sex. 

Kissing, holding hands, holding each other, and any other kinds of touching can make you and your significant other feel close together.  Making love is a kind of touching that can make you feel close also, but try to focus on other kinds of touching, especially if you are a guy. 

Touch your significant other on a daily basis and let them know that you care, and your relationship will be even better for it. 

This one is hard.  We don't like to be wrong about stuff, and we definitely don't like other people to know that we were wrong about something. However, if you and your significant other are going to have a successful relationship, you will need to be able to apologize. 

No one is perfect, and we all make mistakes.  We need to be able to convey that we are sorry for the things that we have done, especially if someone was hurt by what we did. 

Throw your pride out the window, forget your lame excuses (even if you think they are good ones), and let your significant other know that you really regret something that you did that hurt them, and that you never want to do it again. 

We are all human, and eventually someone will be hurt by something that we do or say (hopefully not intentionally), and we need to be able to say, "I'm sorry".  In order to keep a relationship moving forward you need to be able to reconcile.  If you have caused hurt, you need to apologize.   

No matter what kind of relationship you are in, there will be a time when things just need to be said. When it comes to you and your significant other, there will be things that need to be said each and everyday.

Express your love by saying, "I love you". If you are a guy this may not seem like a big deal to you, but women love hearing this all the time. Express your love vocally as well as in active ways.

Express your love by saying, "I need you". Everyone has needs, and everyone needs to be needed some times. Make sure that your man, or your woman knows that you need them on a regular basis.

Express your love by saying, "No one else is quite like you". Your significant other wants to know that they are the person that matters the most in your life, and you need to let them know that by telling them so.

Express your love by saying, "Thank you". Everyone wants to feel appreciated for the things that they do. Make sure that you tell your significant other how much they are appreciated on a regular basis for everything they do, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

When you express your love in these ways on a daily basis it will continue to come back to you in good ways, and it will also ensure that you and your significant other not only stay together, but remain close through good times and bad.