According to New York-based psychologist Sabrina Romanoff, successful couples use the holidays as an opportunity to create new traditions and strengthen their relationships.
They also see the new year as an opportunity to become closer and communicate about what is important to them. Romanoff is also the relationship expert for dating app Hily.
New Year’s Eve is a time to “take a personal inventory of your life,” she says. “What we want for the future and how our partners fit into that.”
According to Romanoff, this is the number one thing successful couples do to keep their relationships on track in the new year.
The content is “Looking back on the year we spent together.”
For couples, there is only one conversation.
The first part of the conversation is to reflect on the past year and what went well in your relationship.
Romanoff suggests looking for moments of deep connection. “Did you guys feel vulnerable to each other? Did you express something really scary that you hadn’t said to anyone else before?” Successful couples think about how they were able to build a bond and express that to each other.
In the second part, we look to the future together and consider how we can continue to improve our relationship in the coming year.
Successful couples do this by framing the things they want to change as reinforcement rather than criticism. Romanoff suggests leading with gratitude, saying, “I love you when you do this,” or “I feel most connected to you when you do this.”
Ultimately, it’s important for each partner to say, “This is how I want to prosper,” Romanoff said.
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