Has your partner told you they want “more than just romance” and you are clueless? This article explains the elements of a healthy relationship besides romance.

More Than Just Romance

What does healthy romantic love look like?

Overview

Love is a funny thing. Some people say that love is blind, while others believe that it&rsquo;s all you need. But what does healthy romantic love look like? Is there such a thing as &ldquo;healthy&rdquo; and &ldquo;unhealthy&rdquo; love? The answer to these questions may surprise you because it&rsquo;s not all butterflies and rainbows! 
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<h5>Contentment</h5>

Contentment is more than just happiness. It&rsquo;s a state of being that comes from knowing who you are and what you want out of life and being satisfied with that. Contentment is not a feeling; it&rsquo;s an attitude or disposition towards your life and yourself. Contentment has nothing to do with goals or achievements; instead, it involves accepting your current circumstances without judgment (and maybe even celebrating them).

Contentment isn&rsquo;t something we all get naturally &mdash; it takes practice! If you have trouble finding contentment on your own, try asking yourself these questions: What am I doing right now? What do I like about this moment? How can I make myself feel better right now? Even if you don&rsquo;t manage to remove negative feelings completely, thinking about them differently will help improve your overall sense of well-being.

In a <a href="https://merisehat.pk/article/love-in-a-long-term-relationship">relationship</a>, the two individuals need to be content with themselves first. If they are not, they should work towards individual contentment. Lack of contentment often gives rise to issues like clinginess and overdependency especially emotionally that can be very mentally exhausting for the other partner.

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not all butterflies and rainbows

<h5>Space</h5>

You need space. You need time to yourself, time to do things on your own, and time to do other things. This is not because you&rsquo;re selfish or don&rsquo;t care about your partner; it&rsquo;s because a relationship is an opportunity for two people who care about each other to explore themselves as individuals and find out what they want in life, as well as how they can best support each other in pursuing those goals.&nbsp;

In order for this exploration to be healthy and fulfilling, there must be space between two people so that they can be independent enough in their thoughts and actions that this will eventually result in growth that benefits both partners equally.

A lot of people seem confused by this concept: why would someone who loves someone want any kind of distance? They think of separation as rejection and abandonment rather than something that allows both parties an opportunity for self-exploration without feeling pressured or smothered by the other person&rsquo;s presence (not necessarily physical proximity).&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s important here not only because romantic love means commitment but also because it doesn&rsquo;t mean constant togetherness at all times &mdash; it means enjoying each other&rsquo;s company when possible but taking breaks from one another when necessary, so that neither person feels trapped by the relationship or obligated into staying together despite personal feelings changing over time (e.g., due to boredom). 
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<h5>Affection</h5>

Affection is more than just romance. It&rsquo;s also a form of communication and a way to show you care about someone. When you&rsquo;re in a relationship, affection can take different forms: holding hands, cuddling on the couch, kissing, etc. But even if someone isn&rsquo;t your boyfriend or girlfriend &mdash; or even your friend &mdash; you can still express affection for them!

Affection is important because it lets people know that you like them and want to be around them. It&rsquo;s also a great way to show that there are warm feelings between two people; this makes us feel good about ourselves as well as the person we&rsquo;re showing affection towards! The simple act of giving kisses or high fives can show someone how much they mean to us without having to use words at all!

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<h5>Time Together</h5>

As Dr Gottman noted, time together is a precious commodity. If you have limited time with your partner, make it count by doing things that you both enjoy together.

You might feel like you don&rsquo;t have enough time for this because of work and family commitments, but I encourage you to carve out some quality time for just the two of you on a regular basis. 
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Love dimensions beyond romance

Love is a feeling of affection and attraction to another person. It&rsquo;s an emotion that energises us and brings joy into our lives. But love also has many dimensions beyond romance.

Love is a verb, not just a noun. It&rsquo;s about choice: choosing to be happy with someone you care about, choosing what kind of person you want to be for them, choosing how you&rsquo;ll treat them when things are tough.

Love is the commitment to make your relationship work, even when it gets hard or boring or uncomfortable &mdash; and even after the initial spark has faded from your eyes (or if it never existed). That commitment requires sacrifice on both sides; it means being willing at times not only to give but also receive love and support from each other &mdash; and sometimes even do something because &ldquo;that&rsquo;s what couples do.&rdquo; 
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Bottom Line

This is not to say that romance isn&rsquo;t important, or that you should replace it with some other kind of love. But it is to say that romance should be one part of a healthy relationship &mdash; and not necessarily the most important one. Romantic love can be wonderful in its own right, but it&rsquo;s also good for something else: what we call companionship. This kind of love means being there for each other when times are good and bad, supporting each other through life&rsquo;s ups and downs &mdash; and having fun together along the way! It&rsquo;s an experience that makes any relationship more satisfying and meaningful than just focusing on romantic feelings alone would ever do.

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