New Year’s Tip 2: Tell Your Romantic Partner
Communication is essential in a healthy relationship and letting your romantic partner know about your goal will help you achieve your goal in more ways than one.
- Having a secret is a burden. In a relationship, if you try to do something on your own and keep it a secret, you lack the support you would have in an otherwise open situation. Additionally, when you are struggling, you will likely struggle more with the added burden of being isolated and secretive.
Additionally, studies have shown that men seek spousal/partner support less often than women. This means that your husband/boyfriend/partner may have issues with sharing that they are trying to change. This is an important factor because it shows a vulnerability. Men on average will try to hide that vulnerability more often than women will. This added level of fear will reduce the chances of long term behavior change success. When you are able to have an open conversation about the proposed behavior change, you remove the barrier of vulnerability. This means that when struggles arise, help is more welcome from the romantic partner.
- A supportive partner will create a supportive environment. If your struggle is weight loss or your goal is muscle gain, then your partner is more likely to foster a supportive environment to achieve that goal. This means that they will be more likely to adjust their diet to accommodate yours, will allow you more time at the gym or they will say supportive words about your behavior. “You look like you’ve lost weight”
- A romantic relationship is there to improve both people. If you are engaging in open dialogue about improving or changing a bad behavior, it plants the seed that you are trying and that you would welcome improvement. This can lead to excess criticism as well, but often it leads to more open conversations about change from both partners.
The old adage of “A happy wife, a happy life.” is certainly true, but you can add this to it: “A healthy wife, a happier and longer life!”
For more New Year’s Success Tips, click here for the full list.
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