[b][b]When you have found that special person, you can feel the sparks are flying. However, a stable relationship is more than holding hands and remembering your first date. So what is the secret to a long-lasting relationship? There is not a magical answer, but some couples have specific habits they practice together without even knowing it.

1. Showing Appreciation
It’s not that hard to show gratitude to the person you’re living with and love. A simple “thank you” for completing a chore around the house deserves some appreciation. Forget about arguing over who’s turn it is to do the dishes. Pointing blame goes nowhere.

Thank you goes a long way in keeping the relationship healthy because it demonstrates that no one is taking the other person for granted. Saying thank you also shows that you respect them, and you will be respected in kind.

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2. Display of Affection Publicly
Healthy couples want to show the world that they love each other in their own unique ways. It’s not just for love birds either who are in the honeymoon stage of their relationships. Holding hands or kissing provides a feeling of connection that they like to lean on, even in public.

It also demonstrates to both parties that the other is willing to be vulnerable in front of other people, which can establish or strengthen the trust between them. Social media also helps display affection

3. Sharing a Hobby
Happy couples usually take up hobbies that they can do together. They have common interests that they like to share because it makes them feel connected.

That doesn’t mean that you have to do everything together. However, sharing a few common interests or trying to get involved in a partner’s interests can bring you closer and give you something to talk about together.

4. Giving Without Expecting Anything in Return
In a relationship that’s not healthy, someone uses giving as a tool to get something in return. That makes the connection very one-sided and dishonest. Happy relationships, on the other hand, involve giving without expecting compensation of any kind.

Giving a gift just because you want to, no matter how small it is, tells your partner that you care and are thinking about them. The most you should expect in return is a thank you and nothing else.

5. Solving, Not Fighting
When a problem arises, a healthy relationship looks to solve the problem, not point fingers. Shifting blame back and forth only makes the situation worse until you have a full-blown argument on your hands.

Finding a solution, on the other hand, means that you’re listening to what the other person is saying and wanting to find the means to make both of you happy in the process. Again, it shouldn’t be about winning or losing, as no one should have the upper hand in a relationship.

6. Seeing the Best, Not the Worst
Appreciating what’s good about the other person will create positive energy between the two of you. Moreover, they’ll come to understand what’s good about you too.

Nitpicking on bad points is an excellent way for the relationship to spiral towards disaster and come to an end more quickly than you imagine. By accepting that no one is perfect, happy couples learn to accept each other for all their faults and work on improving them.

7. Avoiding Generalized Patterns
Healthy, happy relationships don’t make sweeping statements such as “you never” or “you always” to explain their partner’s behaviors away. It can be easy to lump specific actions into patterns and slap labels on them, but doing that won’t help anyway.

It will also make the other person feel like that nothing they do is right if everything they do is going to be unappreciated. They much prefer to treat each instance as a unique event so that it can be dealt with appropriately.

8. Doing All of the Little Things
Even if couples don’t say “I love you” every single day, there are small acts that they do for each other that demonstrates that they do. Small acts of kindness, such as getting his/her favourite drink,candy,chocolate etc

Grand, sweeping gestures are sweet and even brilliant, but doing that every day can be a little over the top. Putting in the effort to demonstrate that you care means more than you can imagine.

9. Apologizing When It’s Important
Saying “sorry” out of the blue doesn’t fix the problem, make it go away, or make you the right person in an argument. The point of apologizing is to show that you care and that you regret that things have devolved.

It’s even less about faults and who did what; healthy partners understand that concept. Good apologies should accept responsibility rather than add a qualification. Another important notion about apologizing is being able to accept it. You can prove your acceptance by moving on and not bringing up past fights during new arguments.

10. Being Good Listeners
Happy couples listen to each other first before responding. They allow each other to get their words out before offering their own feelings on a matter. Being without judgment is also important because not everyone is going to think the same way.

Adopting the perspective of your partner will help you to understand why they think the way they do so that there can be some mutual understanding. Listening first also minimizes the chances of you reacting in anger first.

11. No Playing Games
Couples that love each other don’t play games with each other’s hearts and heads. Playing with someone’s emotions, lying, and cheating only serve the purpose of making things worse. It creates distrust and hurts the other person involved.

Healthy couples prefer to face each other with honesty in their hearts so that there are no secrets between them. Getting each other riled up about past fights or trying to be spiteful is a big no-no. Happy relationships only want what is best for the other person, and it is reflected through constant respect and kindness.

12. Using Sex to Create Connections
For couples who are sexual in their relationship, they use it as a way to connect with each other physically. Craving and wanting affection and attention from your partner is natural, but sex should never be used to fill a void.

Being intimate with the person you love shouldn’t have validation as a goal. If it is, then professional help should be sought to deal with those issues. Engaging in sex for the wrong reasons will not improve things.

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