Spending Time with Friends
Spending time away from your spouse and visiting with friends and family can actually improve your relationship. Your spouse is not going to meet all of your needs all the time. It is important to try and get your needs met in other ways instead of depending on your partner, and then feeling disappointed in their ability to always meet your needs.
People who are well rounded individuals make the best partners. Part of being well rounded means being able to maintain happy and healthy relationships with others outside of the marriage. Perhaps it means going shopping with your sister or playing a round of golf with a friend. Having social support can make a big difference.
Friendship provides many mental health benefits. Research shows that spending time with friends lowers stress levels and helps decrease symptoms associated with depression. Just talking to friends and spending time with them can help people to feel happier, have more patience, and increase their tolerance for stress.
Spending time with friends can have physical health benefits as well. Many research studies have shown that people with more friends tend to live longer, have lower blood pressure, and have an increased ability to fight off diseases. Good health provides an opportunity to be a good partner to your spouse.
When people are doing well physically and emotionally, they are often much more pleasant to be around, which can improve the relationship. Friends can sometimes understand your problems in a way that your partner will not. Friends can also offer you advice and tell you when you are wrong, which may not always be as well received when it comes from your partner. Learning to gain adequate support from friends can be a relief to your spouse as well.
Spending time with friends in addition to all of your other duties is an important factor to consider for your marriage. If you feel like you don’t have time for friends, think about how you can make time. Spend time thinking about the benefits of spending time with a good friend and reflect on how it can actually be healthy for your marriage.
Hi Staff Winter.
My partner and I have been together for a long time and going strong mainly because we stick by rules or guidelines that we have mentally agreed to do. For instance, we both make sure at least one day a week we should go out with friends and socialize because I understand that as couples and individuals we all need space and friend zone comforting.
Also, we try to arrange a social party once every couple of months to help forget about work and other things going on in life. As a child I used to get excited if I were planning a trip to go somewhere that is the same buzz that we create.
Good point. I do feel disappointed as I don’t get the friend time I need. My partner does spend quality time with his family and friends while I feel cheated. My friends want me to go out to bars and that’s just not me anymore. I try to reach out and find new friends, but it’s hard. I understand my husband feels satisfied and I feel empty. He doesn’t need to change, I do. When I am out, I think out him so much…it’s hard to have fun. I know this is something I need to work on. Thanks for the great article.