Relationship Exercises for Couples
On a piece of paper, in a notebook or in your journal answer the
following series of questions. Do this to learn about yourself
and your relationship, but you can also suggest that your
partner do the same. You can do this on a yearly basis, say
January 1st every year.
Exercise Number 1
Do you recall the beginning of your relationship, when you first
fell in love?
Describe your behavior.
Describe your partner's behavior.
Too often in a long-term relationship partners stop the very
behaviors that connected them with one another in the first
place, but transcendent reality.
Some common examples are:
Do you remember looking deeply into one another's eyes?
Do you remember how easy concentrated attention was?
Do you remember those compliments and gifts, etc.?
What do you do that is the same?
What do you no longer do?
What has your partner stopped doing?
What behaviors would you like to restore to your relationship?
Exercise Number 2
What behaviors bother you most about your partner?
Are these issues similar to issues from your past?
If so, what part do you play in implanting the negative
behaviors in your partner?
How could you change your behavior to encourage a more positive
response?
Copyright 2005 Linda Miles Ph.D