Keeping Passion Alive

written by: Kosjenka Muk

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After several years of relationship, most couples start taking each other for granted and stop doing little things which helped them win their partner's appreciation and approval in the early stages of relationship. How to prevent loss of passion in relationship or marriage? In the first place, try to think about your partner as much as possible in the way you did in the beginning: notice qualities you like and be compassionate to your partner's faults which do not burden or threaten you. If you feel some parts of partner's behavior upsetting, explore if it's about little things that remind you of your earlier unpleasant experiences, or is it true irresponsibility and neglect.

Besides out of respect and delight with partner's qualities, the passion in relationship comes out of sexual attraction. This king of attractiveness is often lost after birth of children: the woman will then usually focus on children, and even if she tries to be attentive to her partner too, she will often be to tired and lack focus to succeed. In the first few years of child's life perhaps you will need to accept the fact that you don't have too much time for each other. But as soon as the child becomes more independent, it's important for parents to start investing efforts in their relationship again. Keeping the sexual attraction alive often means enabling the man to feel masculine, and the woman to feel feminine, in the same time avoiding rigid and burdensome prejudices.

Most men feel particularly masculine when they can actively support their woman and make her happy, receive her gratitude and feel wanted and needed. Most women feel feminine when they feel understood, supported and safe to relax and let go.

Through millions of years of evolution, a woman was mostly focused on children and very vulnerable in a dangerous environment, while the role of a man was to protect and help her. Many women in modern society feel that too much responsibility is placed on them - professional job, children, house-work - they can't relax and don't feel supported, so they stop feeling feminine. This creates a sense of unfulfillment and resentment which some women cannot easily explain to themselves.

This kind of resentment usually motivates the traditional "nagging". A woman who feels that she can't relax and that the man's support is lacking, might not be able to explain that to him peacefully, so her tension and frustration might come out in criticising small details in the man's behavior. On the other side, men, in the society which enables them to be lazier than before and reduces the traditional ways of male support to women, can lose their sense of masculinity and become passive, or confused in front of women's demands.

New solutions for old needs

I'm certainly not trying to say that we should return to traditional life-style and reduce the possibilities for women to explore the other aspects of their personalities besides motherhood. We are not just biological reproduction machines, but much more complex than that. To focus on only one aspect of existence while neglecting the others, is never healthy. In the same way, a rigid focus on biological roles only is unhealthy. One of big successes of modern society is the physical and material independence of women, which gives her more choice and opportunity than ever before. Giving that independence up, avoiding responsibility, is not only unhealthy for a woman, but for her partner too.

Instead, we need to create new models of behavior through which a man can feel that he has an important role in his woman's life, and that he can support her and help her relax. As the modern way of life is more diverse and complex than ever before, it makes no sense to give detailed advice. The best thing is to... talk to your partner. Ask your partner what helps him or her to feel more masculine/feminine and tell him what kind of behavior encourages complementary feelings in you and triggers romance. What is important is to avoid rigid demands and focus on playful exploration.

Again - don't get me wrong: I do not advocate rigid gender roles, which created so much suffering and humiliation in the past. Even with all the negative aspects of modern society, we do have much more physical security, freedom of choice and possibility to explore more subtle aspects of our lives and personalities. Still, the instincts developed through evolution are still within us, and while - luckily - they can't control our behavior, we can use them wisely to increase romance and passion.

Apply playful attitude instead of rigid demands. Flexibility is the foundation of good relationships - at least when it comes to details, not important life values. We meet so many people who fight bitterly about little things like how to cut butter, or the famous toilet seat... sometimes you might need to think about if those details are really important enough to endanger the quality of your partnership. Perhaps your partner, even with all your reasons and pleas, will never make it a habit to put food back into the fridge or dirty dishes into the sink... but it doesn't mean that he is a bad person. I would say that most relationship fail because people attribute bad intentions to each other, on the basis of non-important details in behavior. Can you show understanding and compassion to your partner, give her space when she is in a bad mood, irritable, and all together not her best? Then you can earn her trust, respect and motivation to invest effort in the relationship with you... if she is emotionally healthy.

Differences in the way we give love can often create misunderstanding. Some people express their feelings through words and conversation, while others want physical touch or doing things together. Some regard gifts to be an important expression of love, while for others gifts are quite secondary. If you don't notice the way your partner expresses love to you, because this is simply not the way in which you want to receive it... explain it to your partner. Try to notice good intentions, even if the behavior is not exactly what you would prefer. In this way you can prevent unnecessary conflicts.

 

When is it enough?

On the other hand, there are people who do not believe their own instinct enough, so they allow themselves to be manipulated into accepting neglect, humiliation and control. Some women believe that being independent and giving space to her partner means accepting his lack of responsibility and respect. Some men are manipulated into thinking that they are selfish, uncaring and irresponsible if they don't fulfill every partner's wish. Some couples just don't recognize that they are not compatible, but they waste time accusing and trying to change each other.

If you are a man and want to make your partner happy, but are not sure how to distinguish between healthy support and acting like a father, consider the questions that follow. The same questions can help women who are not sure if they demand too much, or their partner is really just acting like a fragile plant in a sensitive process of bonding to a couch:

- Is your partner generally independent and responsible, or she expect others (that is, you) to take over the responsibility for her needs, feelings and desires?

- Is she flexible and tolerant if not everything is her way, or she will criticize and belittle you for not reading her mind?

- Does she express her wishes in a calm and relaxed way, or through acting victim, manipulation or aggression?

- Do you feel that there is balance in sharing work and responsibilities, or do you feel that almost everything is on you?

- Is it pleasurable and fulfilling for you to support her, or is it a burden and obligation? Does she express pleasure and appreciation when you do something for her, or do you feel that it's never enough?

If you're used to rational analysis only, instead of hearing what your intuition has to say, it might be very difficult for you to find an answer. Listen to your feelings - but not those superficial and often defensive, but the deeper feelings, which are often more calm and comprehensive. It's important to recognize that partnership is not symbiosis, but that you are still two individuals. You are still adult and responsible for your life and your needs. Partnership means cooperation - but preserving a sense of personal space and boundaries. Only then can we feel a healthy passion.

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