Here are the 8 best bits of relationship advice we heard from experts in 2022, so our relationships can flourish in the coming new year: “One recommendation I have for couples to nurture their relationship is to do an intention challenge. To do the intention challenge, all you have to do is create a list of 12 things, which can be a mixture of gifts and gestures, to do for your partner once a month. That’s it—nice and simple.” —Beverley Andre, LMFT, licensed marriage therapist “[Companionate love] is not a dopaminergic thrill of excitement and anticipation. It’s more of a here-and-now phenomenon of fulfillment, satisfaction, and contentment. It’s just that deep feeling of being happy and content with someone whose life is intertwined with your own, and you know that they’ve always got your back. And in some ways, that’s a more enjoyable kind of love than the [intensity] of passionate love.” —Daniel Lieberman, M.D., psychiatrist —Jessa Zimmerman, M.A., licensed couples’ counselor and sex therapist —Holly Richmond, Ph.D., LMFT, somatic psychology expert and AASECT-certified sex therapist “This begins the process of disentangling the present from the past. Your partner’s ears open when they hear you speak from that place of vulnerability. Both of you can come to understand how your histories are influencing the present. You and your partner can work together to solve whatever is troubling you. The cutting edge of change is always discomfort—a journey well worth the vulnerability you will encounter along the way. “Be curious—staying in love requires it. Lurking in your own personal underground are some of the culprits that require courage to face. Be willing to look inside of yourself. If you are really going to thrive in your relationship, you’ll need the courage to struggle with inevitable discomfort. The courage to grapple with those demons is what allows you to fall in love—again—this time with your partner.” —Deborah J. Fox, MSW, couples’ counselor and sex therapist “Without even realizing it, you are intoxicated by the fantasy of who you hope this person might become. But every time you are in the movie of projection, you have left the ground of your reality.” —Jordan Dann, MFA, L.P., CIRT, psychoanalyst and relationship expert —Britt Frank, MSW, LSCSW, licensed psychotherapist and trauma specialist —Rachel Glik, Ed.D., LPC, licensed professional counselor
