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Balance means being able to go through all that needs to be done in life without focusing only on one part of our life and one part of our existence. We need to have a balance between the time we spend with our family and the time we spend working on our marriage. Once we start to have children, there comes a tendency give all our time and attention to the family and kids. This focus creates an imbalance. If this imbalance remains throughout years and year of marriage, most couples find that they have nothing left of their marriage once the kids are gone.
Balance is all about MAKING time. Research shows that couples who set aside time to reconnect with each other each day are much more likely to have healthy and lasting long-term relationship.
Use these tools and tips to maintain a balanced relationship:
1. Every week go out on a date or get together with friends.
2. Have time assigned to be together every day.
3. Have more intimacy. The more intimate you are the closer you feel.
4. Strive to be best friends. Enjoy the time you spend together.
5. Sometimes it isn't family time that impedes on the marriage time, but it is personal time that interferes. Hobbies can impede on the balance of marriage. Everyone needs personal time, but don't let it interfere.
6. Intentionally focus on your partner and their needs every day. Every day find some way to make an intentional effort to connect in and focus on your partner.
7. Eye to eye time. When you were first in love you could just sit for hours and look into each others eyes. Where has that gone? Take time every day to cuddle and look into each others eyes.
8. When your partner complains about not having enough time with you, think of it as a compliment. They WANT to be with you! Find the compliment in the fact that they want to be with you.
9. Lose the excuse. Time is not the excuse. It isn't about time management. It is more about management. What are you choosing to spend time with instead of your partner?
10. Focus on the important things, not the urgent. We are falling pray to the urgent things that are acting on us; cell phones, news feeds, emails, Facebook. Many times the things that are urgent are not important. Do not mistake those things that are important for those things that are urgent but not important.
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