Relationship challenges might not be easy, but they are there to help us grow, learn, and reach higher levels of connection through the shared experience of climbing over a mountain of opposition together.
There’s a million different manifestations of relationship challenges and types of change that we will encounter, but a majority of us, when in long-term partnerships, will face similar instances of the most common.
Here are some of them outlined for you, to both help you know and understand that these are not only regular occurrences, but to better help you to fight through these challenges when building positive relationships.
As well as this, there are simply some more difficult and life-altering challenges than others, which are the ones you must do your best to avoid entirely.
The Challenge of Building Intimacy
If you didn’t know already, intimacy is actually a very broad term that contains multiple facets of individual personalities, as there are actually multiple different kinds of intimacy.
To feel the connection with another human, that connection being intimacy, you have to cater directly to the type of intimacy that your partner best responds to, as we are all unique in what makes us feel loved, appreciated, and connected.
Basically, intimacy means a hell of a lot more than just being connected on the physical realms through sex!
If you face the relationship challenges of building intimacy, you should first learn what the different types of intimacy are by visiting our article, “The Different Types of Intimacy“.
Once you learn the ins and outs of this term, then try and practice open communication with your partner to better understand the style of intimacy that works best for them. Once you have this better understanding, gain the insight needed to promote this particular intimacy, whether it be:
As well as focusing on their primary style of intimacy, you should also work to implement strategies to build all types of intimacy, as creating an ecosystem of connection is the key to working through relationship challenges such as a lack of intimacy. When it comes to types of change, people don’t always stay the same, and their preferred style of intimacy might change as well, again bringing up the importance of understanding the peculiarities of each.
The Challenge of Sexual Frustration
Being sexually frustrated can be a downfall to a relationship. If you aren’t on the same page with your sexuality, this might lead to feelings of annoyance or possible resentment. After all, at a baseline level of biology, sex is why we seek a partner! Of course, a relationship should always mean way more than that, but you can’t avoid the importance of sex regardless.
Sexual frustration might arise from a number of reasons, and different types of change with sex often occur. This might arise with:
- A change of sex drive
- A change of sexual desires
- A fear of sexual exploration
- Differing viewpoints on sex
And much more.
Our advice? Always be as open and honest as possible when sex becomes something embodied by frustration and not an experience that you relish and enjoy to the highest possible extent.
Realize the different ways of how communication influences a sexual relationship, and use this to your optimal advantage by engaging in mature, honest, and heartfelt sex talks surrounding the sexual relationship challenges at hand. Listen to your partner, and implement strategies aimed at promoting a healthy sex life, whether it be learning how to increase sex drive, promoting more intimate sex, experiencing different types of kinks, or anything else at hand.
It might take work, but who doesn’t like making sex better?!
The Challenge of Trust
Oh boy, could there ever be two words more synonymous than love and trust?
Seriously, the influence of trust in a relationship is massive, and when lacking, it is one of the most difficult challenges when building positive relationships. There are actually quite a few different types of trust, so focus on the areas of trust that might be lacking, identify reasonings as to why they might be lacking, and work on engaging with your partner in how to build trust in a relationship.
Being entirely trusting with your partner makes you feel comfortable with their love, creates a calmness surrounding your relationship, and makes for the healthiest forms of connection possible. Often, mistrust is a result of a past relationship, so try to never let your past reflect upon your current partner and distract you from the fact that this is a new person who is entirely unique from your ex.
Again, communication is critical, so if there’s ever an area of trust that is lacking, it’s always better to bring it up to your partner so that they can work to fill the void (or vice versa), instead of leaving them in the dark.
The Challenges of Cheating
Cheating is, unfortunately, an extremely common occurrence in modern-day relationships, one of the most difficult relationship challenges to overcome. Many things drive infidelity, but technology and social media really don’t help, and cheating actually takes on many forms. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean physical contact!
Although men have the most challenging time overcoming the idea of their partner in a sexual relationship with someone else, women have a hard time overcoming the idea of their partner experiencing an emotional connection with a partner. With this, as you venture deeper into your relationship, don’t always assume that contact means cheating- talking to another person in a flirtatious or sexual manner is really just another version of the same thing!
Let’s put it this way- the best way to avoid the types of change in your love and viewpoints of one another (depending on who is at fault) that occur after cheating is to avoid cheating entirely! Unless you agree upon an open relationship, it is so much healthier to approach your partner with any bouts of sexual frustration or discontent in your relationship instead of sneaking away for a quick, heartbreaking rendezvous.
But what if cheating has already been done? Well then, you will absolutely have to remain strong in attaining future growth, but seriously, it’s not impossible at all to have a healthy relationship following infidelity. Visit our article “How to Rebuild Trust After Cheating” for more insight, and often, relationship challenges as influential as infidelity often require the help of a licensed sex therapist or consistent relationship therapy.
A Change In Location
It is all too common for couples to face the challenge of one partner needing to move to another state, be it family, work, or a simple desire for somewhere new. Sometimes, a change in location is enough of a relationship challenge to end the relationship in its entirety, as our location has a massive effect on overall happiness and wellbeing.
If you face the relationship challenges of overcoming a possible change in location or a big move, then the best approach is to always remain empathetic to your partner. Try and place yourselves in their shoes, and understand where their needs or desires are coming from.
Have they been working their whole life for that big job and finally landed the gig on the other side of the country? Realize that this is a dream of theirs coming to fruition and that you can either help to make that dream a reality or hinder it through disagreement.
But, with this being said, you might love your home, and you simply don’t want to move. That’s also okay because we are all entitled to our opinions and where we derive contentment from. With this, it will be your partner’s job to practice empathy the other way around.
Always communicate your mindset to avoid difficulties with types of change like a move to a different place. Don’t let the idea drag on, pretending that you are okay with it if, deep down, you really aren’t happy; just imagine the resentment that will arise the day you start to pack up your belongings!
Compromise is your best bet, and it might just be the only way to create a middle ground in something as life-altering as a location change. You may compromise that you will move somewhere new for a set period of time to try it out. You might compromise that you will move to a new state that you both want to be in. You know your relationship best, so try and compromise on the levels of your personal love life.
In the end, just be honest with yourself and your partner if a change like this doesn’t feel right, and always speak your mind so that you can work through challenges to build positive relationships together.
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