Small, Simple Ways to Be a Better Partner Right Now

1.Schedule time to connect every day.

2. Let your spouse feel your presence.

3.Focus on your hellos and goodbyes.

4.Validate more often.

5.Practice responding rather than reacting.

6.Try the compliment sandwich.

7.Vow to be a better listener.

8.Prioritize your mental health.

9. Talk about sex more 

10. Make household equity a priority. 

The vast majority of men do not recognize the hidden labor that women take on their households — often little, crucial tasks that add up to a massive burden. It’s important to make this a priority and even the load. “Ask your partner about the household equity, and then listen to their answer,” suggests Bognar. “Look for opportunities to pitch in, and don’t be afraid to do even more than your share. As men, we focus a lot on fairness because our position in the world often means we are spared unfairness.”
 
This is one of the most important steps a couple can take, per Jeremy McAllister, Licensed Professional Counsellor and owner of Lifekey Counseling. “Whether you’re on the (more commonly male) avoidant side — just wanting a peaceful life, thinking everyone should take care of their own needs, their own emotions — or on the anxious side and receiving all these reflections from the world that blame you for your emotions, that say you need too much or you are too much — know that neither side is wrong,” he says. “Each side just brings a different set of tools to meet and manage emotions in self and other. One side struggles to step out of the emotion while the other struggles to access it. And neither side knows how to actually be with it.” Understanding where you and your partner each fit and finding ways to respond with empathy to those triggers in them that trigger you, he adds, is crucial.