Dating & Relationships

5 Relationship Resolutions for Couples, Friends & More

posted on January 5, 2017 | by Chelsea Becker

With so much focus on resolutions to better yourself, working on being a better friend or partner usually gets ignored. Of course it’s crucial to focus on yourself in the new year, but it’s just as important to work on the relationships in your life. To make sure I’m holding myself accountable to the people in my life, I’ve set five relationship resolutions to live by this year.

1. Be patient

I admittedly am horrible at being patient. I get on my boyfriend the minute he leaves something out or doesn’t put his dish away. Yet when I’m at home by myself, I leave rarely put dishes away immediately. Unless it’s a major mess or he’s being disrespectful to our home, I need to lay off and trust that he’ll clean at his own pace. So if your boyfriend isn’t a neat freak or your best friend needs to vent yet again about a guy or your roommate is forgetful, try your best to instill a little patience. It’ll go along way in maintaining your relationships!

2. Carve out quality time

Whether you live with a boyfriend or your best friend, spending quality time together can often be overlooked. When you live together, you spend a lot of time together, but way too much of that time is dedicated to your phones, watching mindless TV, or not fully enjoying each others’ company. I want to make my time with my boyfriend more meaningful, so we’ve decided to have “phone-less dinners”. Setting aside specific hangout time where you can really focus on each other is so important.

3. Create an annual girl’s trip

My girlfriends and I have always wanted to do this, but we’ve never been able to commit to an annual trip. In 2017, I’m taking the reigns and planning a girl’s trip. So often my friends and I just meet up for dinner and have quick catch-up sessions, but rarely do we hangout for more than a few hours. Multiple days of quality friend time is something I’m really excited for this year. Even better, I plan to make it an annual tradition!

4. Make ordinary tasks more fun

Life is short, so this year I resolve to making ordinary tasks with friends and partners more fun! I want to: play silly games instead of watching TV with my roommates, dance while doing the dishes with my boyfriend, go to the playground while at the park with my friends. Basically, I want to prioritize being silly with my loved ones!

5. Make loved ones feel special

I adore making my boyfriend, family, and friends feel special, but admittedly I don’t do it often enough. I want to make loved ones feel just that — loved. Whether that means sending sporadic hand-written notes or complimenting friends on their positive traits, I want to make others feel great about themselves and let them know that I truly appreciate them.

What could you improve on in your relationships this year?