Once you know how to recognize a healthy relationship, you’ll likely want to get working on your own relationship with your partner right away. There are concrete steps you can take to do exactly that, and you can start today.
If you’ve been around Core Values Counseling for any amount of time, you’ve heard us talk about the Gottmans. One of their foundational theories is the Sound Relationship House. The house is made up of the weight-bearing walls of commitment and trust, plus seven floors:
- Floor 1: Build Love Maps
- Floor 2: Share Fondness and Admiration
- Floor 3: Turn Towards
- Floor 4: The Positive Perspective
- Floor 5: Manage Conflict
- Floor 6: Make Life Dreams Come True
- Floor 7: Create Shared Meaning
We’ve found that the Sound Relationship House is a fantastic starting point for any couple looking to strengthen and improve their relationship, in concrete terms, one step at a time.
Understand that this isn’t a quick-fix method. Like building a house, it takes a commitment of time and energy from both partners. But the end result is so worth it.
Diving deeper into your relationship takes time. It requires intentionality. If you don’t plan (and stick to) dedicated time for building your Sound Relationship House, it won’t just magically happen. It may seem silly to some, but go ahead and calendar it out!
Your relationship deserves the time and attention required to build a Sound Relationship House, and right now is a perfect time to get started.
