5 tips from longtime married couples

Anyone who has been married or in a relationship can probably attest to the challenges of staying happy together long term. Read on to find great advice often offered by longtime married couples.

• Nearly every couple who has been married successfully for many years admits that marriages are not easy.
• Committing time to communicating, fixing problems as they come up and being patient with your partner are all keys to ensuring a marriage that lasts a long time.

• Every person grows and changes as time passes, and you should enter into a relationship knowing that both you and your partner will change as things happen to you.
• Be willing to get to know new aspects of your partner as you grow, and continue to communicate about feelings and beliefs, since they are ever-evolving.
• Talking about thoughts and feelings is a great way to stay close to your partner and him or her to stay close to you as you both go through life.

• One of the reasons that many relationships get boring and stale is because couples get into a rut.
• To ensure that things stay fresh and exciting, make sure you try new things together. This means eating at new restaurants, trying new activities, going on trips or enjoy different kinds of books and movies.

• Longtime married couples say that something that helps keep them close is ensuring that they feel close at bedtime.
• Some couples say they try to resolve every fight before bed so that no one wakes up angry, and others say that even if they're mad at night, they make sure to hug and kiss and show their partner that they're still there for them, even if they are discontent.
• Reconnecting before bed ensures that the partnership stays healthy day after day.

• Some couples want to be young forever. However, the most successful couples realize that every person is going to get old; the closest partners prepare to face old age together.
• Couples should understand how bodies and health will change as the years pass, and the most successful couples are prepared and committed to caring for their partner as health declines or bodies weaken.
• After all, marriage is a life partnership. It moves through every stage of life.