One Simple Way to Improve a Relationship

There is one very simple thing that you can do today to improve a relationship. Improve a relationship with your spouse, with your child, with a friend. It’s so simple, that it is often overlooked. Ready? Show appreciation.

Yes, your daughter is SUPPOSED to do her homework. Yes, your husband is SUPPOSED to take out the trash. Yes, your son is SUPPOSED to put away his laundry. Being thanked and shown appreciation, even for the expected, can help strengthen a relationship.

Appreciation and gratitude go a long way. Not only does it create a positive feeling in the moment, but it helps to nurture a relationship. It serves as a buffer in times of conflict by creating a sense of closeness and deeper connection. We behave our best and treat people nicely when we feel an emotional connection with them. Expressing gratitude for the person or the relationship can help foster that connection. For this very reason, I start off every MotherDaughter Connection session with an exercise in gratitude. Mothers and daughters privately tell each one thing that they are grateful for in the other person or within their relationship.

Test it out today. What might you take for granted and not express thanks for? What small act can you express appreciation and thanks for today within your family? What quality do you appreciate about your partner or child? Take a moment to think about it, and then make a point to express it.