Thursday, February 11, 2016
February 11, 2016
by Dr. Kathleen Hall
Stress can create distance in your relationship. Fortunately, there are five mindful tips that can help strengthen your love life.
Stress keeps you from communicating and paying attention to your partner. Stress causes you to experience an array of emotions that you can’t control. It can increase your cortisol and adrenaline levels, interfering with your body’s normal hormone levels and resulting in a low libido or sex drive. And all of these stress consequences can ultimately hinder your romantic relationship.
Keep stress from ruining your love life with these five Mindful Mate tips:
- Start with yourself: To establish a truly loving relationship you must first love yourself. Take steps to boost your self-confidence by reflecting on your past achievements and let these experiences motivate you. By encouraging yourself and staying positive, you’ll appreciate your partner more.
- Communicate often: Keeping the line of communication open with your partner can strengthen your relationship and lower your stress. Consider starting each day or ending each night with communication sessions. Regular talks about your fears and your frustrations can help you build on your relationship.
- Relax: Stress can lead to heated arguments that can strain relationship. Taking the time to relax and cool down when you’re stressed can help. Have a two-minute cool down in the midst of a spousal argument. Also come up with a relaxing bedtime ritual to help you unwind at the end of the day, so you never go to bed angry.
- Stay active: Reduce stress and renew your love life by exercising daily. This will reduce the extra adrenaline that stress produces. Consider going for a walk in the morning or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Be Mindful of your body image: Stress can also alter the way you view your own body. This can also impact your impact your sex life and your relationship. You can build a positive body image with just one small step. Everyday wake up and look in the mirror. Find one thing positive thing that you love about your body. By starting everyday with a positive view about your appearance you will slowly start to appreciate and love your body as a whole.