Falling in love is easy. Staying in love? That’s the hard part. Do you ever find yourself longing for the butterflies and excitement of the early days of your relationship? It’s no secret the marriage and long-term relationships are hard. It takes work, every single day.

We can hold a lot of power when it comes to relationships if we think of love as a verb as opposed to a state of being. Studies show that real love can last a lifetime, but that depends on how we behave in our relationships. Social Psychologist Erich Fromm wisely said that love isn’t a feeling, but a practice.

Ideas that might help you stay in love:

♥ Don’t become complacent in your relationship. Never stop romancing your partner. Make time for one another. Don’t stop the chasing and flirting.

♥ Learn how to speak your partners love language to help keep doing the things that make them feel loved the most.

♥ Attentively listen to and value them. Aim to understand your partner rather than judging and holding grudges.

♥ Protect your relationship from external threats. Don’t air dirty laundry.

♥ Build a ‘culture of appreciation’ – regularly express appreciation, gratitude, affection, and respect for your partner.

♥ Don’t try to one-up each other. There’s no tit for tat in a relationship. Rather, communicate when you feel hurt and work on repairing the conflict rather than holding it in and harboring resentment.