Year-end relationship check-in | Psychology Today

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As the new year approaches, it’s a great time to reflect on your relationships, celebrate personal and relationship successes, and start married life. the goal You can continue to strengthen your connection with your partner. I encourage many of the couples I work with to regularly check in on their relationship and reflect on how they have supported each other regularly throughout the year to ensure future relationship success. I recommend that you make a plan to do so. Think of this check-in as a larger, more general “relationship status” review.

Relationship growth is not linear. Over the past year, there may have been times when you were able to work well as a team, and times when you faced more challenges. This relationship review allows you and your partner to look back and appreciate the lessons you’ve learned and how far you’ve come as a couple. Additionally, it will help you set future goals.

Below are two guidelines to help you and your partner make the most of your year-end check-in. Keep these things in mind when discussing romantic relationships.

Actively listen and respond to partner disclosures.

Set aside time to discuss your relationship when outside distractions can be limited or completely eliminated. This allows you to be fully present and focus on the interaction with your partner. Actively listening to each other allows you to express what you’re thinking, as well as validate your partner’s thoughts and feelings.

Researchers note that a partner’s responsiveness can foster intimacy. romantic relationship and increases feelings of well-being (Arican-Dinc and Gable, 2023). They share that perceived responsiveness begins with active listening, which includes the ability to convey understanding, validation, and compassion to the discloser (Arican-Dinc and Gable, 2023 ). Use this check-in not only as a summary, but also as a way for the two of you to build a connection so that you both leave feeling heard and understood from this discussion.

express thanks And celebrate your successes.

Focus on your wins over the past year and celebrate your personal and relationship successes. This can be done by expressing gratitude for how your partner shows up in the relationship. This will help your partner feel acknowledged and strengthen your bond. A study by Algoe et al. (2013) demonstrated that gratitude fosters a sense of closeness and increases both relationship satisfaction and responsiveness. As a result, gratitude conveys your gratitude to the other person and deepens your relationships. Additionally, research has demonstrated that partners who feel understood, acknowledged, and cared for experience greater feelings of well-being when sharing positive events (Gable and colleagues, 2006) .

Every shift brings change, even if you feel like you have a lot of work to do in your relationships next year. Celebrate small changes as signs of success. Express your appreciation for each other and acknowledge each other’s investment in the relationship. These are signals that you care.