7 Unexpected Ways Love Makes Life Better
Well, it's that time of year again.
When spring is in the air, but not quite in the air and everything feels just a little dirty, just a little muddy, and just a little blah.
I don't know about you, but I've been feeling a little blue lately. Maybe it's the prolonged winter, maybe it's that fact that even though warmer weather is coming I will still be pregnant and unable to ever be comfortable in shorts again, or maybe it's just that famous March melancholy, but whatever way you slice it, I'm just not feeling all that cheerful these days.
But as it would turn out, the very person that I often take out my grumpiness on may just the be key to shaking my winter doldrums off and embracing a little bit of spring happiness…
7 Unexpected Ways Love Makes Life Better:
1. It can motivate you
Do you have a workout goal in mind? A new career path you've been pining over? Maybe a new quest to change your diet? (Paleo, I'm looking at you.) Get your partner to join in on helping you meet your goal and you will not only be more likely to reach that goal, but you'll have fun together in the process of supporting each other.
2. It can make you a better person
One of the great things about marrying my husband is that it actually made me a better person. And I don't mean that in some kind of cheesy, mushy "my husband is just the best!" way. I mean it in a very practical way. I was a horrible fighter when we got married - I'd shut down, pout, and then explode weeks later. Very unhealthy stuff. My husband is the opposite and has the uncanny ability to remain calm and talk through a disagreement, a skill I've learned from him over the years. If your partner has traits you lack, you may just wind up picking them up.
Related: How to survive the 7 stages of marriage
3. It can help you sleep better
As a former night-shifter and a mom of soon-to-be-four, I don't knock the importance of sleep. I live for a good night of sleep. So when I read the interesting tidbit that couples in love actually sleep better together from YourTango, I knew that it was time to convince my husband to take a nap with me. Love is good for the soul and a good night's sleep.
4. It can help you live longer
On average, married couples live longer than single persons. I mean, surely, that's a reason to be happy, right?
5. It can help your children live better lives
Everyone knows that the most important thing you can do for your children is to love your spouse. Well, here's another reason to celebrate date night - one study showed that maternal love can overcome a whole host of childhood risks, like poverty and diabetes. Happy wife = happy life.
6. It could help you win that race
If you're an athlete or a mom just hoping to finish the race (ahem), your loved one may just be the ticket to athletic prowess that you were looking for. Athletes report that long-term relationships and love might actually boost their athletic performance. Interesting. Now drop and give me 20!
7. It helps you think of someone else
I don't know about you, but my college years were a pretty good indicator that constantly thinking about myself doesn't necessarily make me happy. I tend to quickly fall into narcissistic hand-wringing about my life, thinking things like, "How can I be happy??" or "What makes me really happy?" when really, all along, I just needed to get out of my own mind a little bit. And there's no better way to make yourself happy than focusing on the happiness of someone else - especially if that someone else just happens to be a man that loves you and might just offer to give you a massage later…
Photo source: j&j brusie photography
-By Chaunie Brusie
For 25 ways to act like you love your spouse, visit Babble!
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