A good relationship oftentimes needs to be reexamined. When you hit a plateau and things get boring, worries about your relationship may keep you up at night. Are you with the right person? Is your partner bored with you? Why isn’t the relationship like it was in the beginning?

But don’t get all paranoid. Plateaus are normal. The question you should be asking is: how can I improve my relationship?

Here are 15 simple ways to give your relationship the jolt it needs:

Communicate

What is a relationship without communication? It’s one of the most powerful keys to strengthen your relationship, because it enables you to share yourself with your partner. Communicate clearly, and you can unlock nearly any door.

Make Time for Each Other

Life gets busy, and people often become focused on careers, hobbies, or other things. But remember that the most important thing in life is the people you love, and your other half needs some one-on-one time, no matter how busy you are.

Make Time for Yourself

Alone-time is just as important as couple-time. Having a life outside of each other will improve your relationship in a huge way, because it will allow you some space to focus on your individual self, outside of the couple.

Touch

Hold hands, give your love a massage, snuggle up. The power of the human touch is immeasurable. It is pleasurable and comforting. If you’re not a touchy-feely couple, reconsider your feelings and give it a shot.

Get Intimate

Intimacy is important to a romantic relationship. If you’re not making time for sex or are having intimacy issues, both parties may feel stressed and unsatisfied. Don’t sweep this under the rug. Talk about it and try to work it out together. If needed, get counseling.

Support Each Other’s Goals

There’s nothing like a partner who’s your biggest fan. Having someone who cheers you on and believes in you is such a huge ego-boost. So if you find yourself being an unsupportive partner, check your negativity at the door.

Empathy

Sometimes your partner may be upset about something, and you don’t understand why, so you just shrug it off. But in doing so, you’re demeaning your partner’s feelings. Instead, shower them with empathy and try to understand where they’re coming from.

Acts of Service

It’s nice to have someone bring you a glass of wine or do your laundry when you didn’t even ask. Acts of service to your partner will show that you care.

Appreciate

Following up on acts of service, it’s just as important to appreciate when your partner serves you or does something for you. Express this appreciation in a meaningful way and don’t ignore what they’ve done.

Compromise

In some relationships, one side may get their way all the time, while the other feels used and abused. Don’t walk all over your partner if they prefer to avoid confrontation. Compromise with each other so that you both get what you want.

Be Romantic

Maybe you’re not the lovey-dovey type, but being romantic in your own goofy way may be just what your relationship needs. Don’t let romance die. Keep it alive and kicking!

Encourage

Like support, encouraging your partner to be the best they can be is a good way to boost their confidence. If they’re shuffling their feet about some passion project or another, tell them to go for it. We all need a pat in the right direction.

Compliment

“You look especially beautiful today,” “Your speech was incredible,” “You really did an excellent job on that project” “I love it when your hair does that swoopy thing” – compliments are easy to give and, oftentimes, they mean a lot to their recipients. But make sure they’re genuine: mean them when you say them.

Cherish the Small Things

The way she stirs her coffee; the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles. Make a point of cherishing the small things about your partner, because these are the things that made you fall for them in the first place.

And the Big Things

Don’t forget about the big things too. What they’ve done for you; how they’ve changed your life for the better. It’s important to remind yourself every day about why this person is in your life. When you do, you’ll develop the willingness and drive to improve your relationship in any way that you can. Now that you have these 15 simple ways to improve your relationship right in your back pocket, test drive them with your partner and watch in wonder as your relationship brightens.

Now that you have these 15 simple ways to improve your relationship right in your back pocket, test drive them with your partner and watch in wonder as your relationship brightens.