Relationship Advice for Men: 25 Tips To Make You A Better Partner

Being in a relationship isn’t always as easy as it seems in rom-coms. They miss out huge chunks of reality and all the hard work that goes into a relationship behind the scenes, but who’d want to watch that movie, right? Maybe you’re going through a rough patch or you’re just looking to brush up on your skills, whatever reason you have for being here, I can tell you that you’re already a better partner than you think you are.

1. Work On Your Listening Skills

This might be tough if you’re a talker like me but it’s important to be able to listen to your partner to be able to meet their needs and wants. If you can’t listen to what your other half is asking from you, how can you be the partner they deserve?

When your partner comes to you with something important to say while you’re in the middle of something, it can be easy to only give them half your attention as it seems better than not listening at all. FYI – it’s not. Instead, gently tell them that you want to be able to give them your full attention, and when you’ve mentally distanced yourself from whatever you’re doing, they’ll have exactly that.

2. Turn Up the Romance

Remember the little acts of love that you did at the start of your relationship? Bring them back. The honeymoon stage doesn’t have to be over. They may be small gestures, but they mean a hell of a lot.

Being romantic can be anything from surprising them with their favorite flowers to booking a spontaneous mini-break. It could even be leaving a post-it note on the fridge that says “I love you” before you leave for work.

3. Ask Your Partner if They’re Any Areas in Your Relationship That They Think You Could Work On

Going directly to the source and asking your other half if there’s anything that you could work on is one of the most effective ways to become a better partner as it stops it from becoming a guessing game. You might think that you need to work on being more romantic when your partner thinks it’s one of the things that you do best.

Checking in with them will make sure you’re putting your efforts into the right areas. Plus, it opens the conversation for you to talk to them about how they can be a better partner themselves as they will no doubt want to return the favor. But remember, this is about how you can improve, don’t get distracted, and make it more about what your other half can do for you.

4. Give Them Compliments

We all enjoy compliments, especially from those we love. You probably told your partner how beautiful they looked every morning when you first started staying at each other’s places. Now you probably still think it but forget to tell them, and how will they know if you don’t? Go out of your way to make your other half feel good about themselves and they’ll do the same for you.

5. Provide Endless Support

Life can be tough sometimes and you need a partner that you can lean on and vice versa. It’s you and your other half against the world. Support them with everything that they do, even if you don’t quite agree with it. If it makes them happy, help them make it happen.

6. Be Their Number One Fan

Now, this probably goes without saying but to be a better partner you need to be their number one fan. Hype them up and always be there on the front line to witness them smash their life goals. Knowing you’re rooting for them will push them that little bit further to reach their achievements.

7. Trust Them Completely

A relationship is built on trust. You may trust your partner already, and we hope that you do, but to be the best partner you can be, you need to trust them completely. By doing this you’ll allow the relationship to reach new heights as you eliminate any boundaries that limit your and your partner’s potential.

8. Respect Their Opinions

You won’t always agree with your partner, facts. You’re different people and will inevitably have different opinions. When this happens, it’s important to respect their opinions, even if you don’t see eye to eye. Don’t try and force your opinion on your other half and try to get them to change their mind. Allow them the space to have their own thoughts.

9. Encourage Them To Be the Best Version of Themselves

You want a partner that brings out the best in you, someone who inspires you to be a better person but be careful not to force them to change anything about themselves if they don’t want to. It’s about strengthening the qualities they have already, not making them switch out their traits for new ones unless that’s what they want of course.

Before you do this, have a conversation about what they’d like to work on and how you can help them, so they don’t feel like you’re unhappy with who they are.

10. Remember That You’re on the Same Team in a Disagreement

Arguments can break out in even the healthiest of relationships. They’re nothing to be ashamed of, unless you can’t have one without screaming at each other that is. One thing that can help you to keep your voice down and be a better partner is to remember that you’re actually on the same team. You have the same end goal of wanting to keep each other happy but in the heat of the moment, this can easily be forgotten.

 

11. Be Present

No one wants an absent partner. Dedicate time to your other half where they have your devoted attention such as a weekly date night. Pay attention to what they’re saying, give engaging responses, and look directly into their eyes. Forget about anything else on your mind and only think about the present moment with you and your partner.

12. Know How To Make Yourself Happy

Knowing how to make yourself happy takes off any pressure you may be projecting onto your partner to fulfill your happiness. When someone you love is unhappy, you can feel a great responsibility to lift their spirits. Being in a relationship should add to your happiness, not be the sole reason that you’re happy.

13. Always Be Honest

It’s better to hurt someone with the truth than make them happy with a lie. Lying can shatter years of solid trust in an instant, which just isn’t worth it. It only takes one lie to plant a seed of doubt in their mind as to whether you’ve been truthful throughout your entire relationship.

14. Do One Nice Thing Every Day

This couldn’t be simpler, right? Just doing one nice thing a day for your partner will strengthen your relationship as they begin to appreciate you even more. It could be making them a morning coffee, a foot massage, or taking the trash out on their day – anything that makes them feel nice.

15. Be Empathetic

Empathy is different from sympathy. It requires putting yourself in your partner’s shoes (even if they’re stilettos) and seeing situations from their perspective. This can be difficult if they’re going through a situation you’ve never experienced or maybe can never experience, but it’s worth the work to become a better partner.

 

16. Validate Them

This is different from empathy because even when we can’t empathize with someone and how they feel, we can always validate their emotions. They’re allowed to feel what they feel and sometimes a simple “I acknowledge what you’re feeling” or “I hear you” is all that’s needed.

17. Practice Responding

They say that your first reaction is what you were born with, and the second is who you are. If your initial reaction isn’t a good one, take a moment to think about whether that’s really who you are or are you slipping back into old habits?

18. Try the Compliment Sandwich

A compliment sandwich is basically an improvement you’d like to make that starts and ends with a compliment. It goes something like this: “I love you and how clean you are, that’s why our house feels like a home, but sometimes you put my tools away somewhere and I can’t find them, or you put them away while I’m in the middle of a project and I find it hard to pick it back up again. Please could you tell me where you put them afterward or wait for me to clean up after myself? Thank you so much for being patient with me. You’re always so understanding.” And is that not one of the nicest ways you could tell your partner to chill out on the cleaning? (Which is probably how you would’ve put it).

19. Prioritize Your Mental Health

Prioritize your mental health so that you can give the best version of yourself to your partner. If you’re constantly feeling stressed, angry, or deflated, your partner will begin to feel these things too.

20. Talk About Sex More

Sex needs to be talked about. Knowing how to sexually satisfy your other half will work wonders in the bedroom and in your relationship. They’re not going to complain about you leaving the toilet seat up if you’ve just put in a top performance, trust me.

 

21. Understand Your Love Languages

They could be different or the same to your partner, either way, it’ll help you both to realize how the other wants to be shown love. Maybe they want to hear “I love you” at least a few times a day, or they want affection and physical touch every time you’re around. If your love languages are different and you don’t understand each other’s, they could feel very unloved.

22. Do What You Said You Would Do

Communication is everything in a relationship and so is follow-through. If a situation occurs and your partner asks something of you, do what you said you would do. The same goes for yourself and your mental health. If you told yourself you would try to listen more, be mindful of that.

If you said you’d go to the gym more, consciously schedule it into a planner. There’s always a way to escape responsibilities just like there’s a way to improve them and grow yourself, so choose the better option every time.

23. Eye Contact

The simple act of looking your partner in the eyes can stimulate a connection that’s deep and intimate, eyes are the windows to the soul after all. Looking into your other half’s eyes shows them that you’re here, you’re present, and with them wholeheartedly.

24. Touch More

From newborn to adulthood, the sensation of physical touch is vital to mental health. Even if your partner’s love language isn’t physical affection, a simple hug in the morning or a kiss on the cheek can go a long way in becoming a better partner. Physical touch releases happy hormones in the body, and who doesn’t want more of those?

25. Remember It’s Not Always 50/50

Have you ever heard that relationships are 50/50 and that each partner needs to give half the effort to make the relationship whole? Well, this isn’t always true. You can’t always perform at your best, so your partner will then take on more responsibility than you. This dynamic switches between the both of you all the time. Maybe you had a bad day or aren’t feeling very well, either way, you’ll be giving less than your partner.

It’s important to understand this so that when they’re feeling less than 50%, you can step up and be the man that they need you to be to keep the relationship going strong, not come down on them for not putting in as much effort as you. Love and nurture them back to full health.