There’s more to being supportive than simply nodding your head while your wife complains. According to Psychology Today, there are four different types of support: physical comfort and emotional support mean holding your wife’s hand and listening to her, esteem support means encouraging her, informational support means giving her advice and tangible support means helping her accomplish things.
Aim to be a supportive spouse and show your wife how much you care for her by being close to her and showing her support in a variety of ways.
Communication is key to being a supportive husband
Ask your wife directly what you can do to be a better husband and have a healthy relationship. Not all women are the same, and she may have specific little things she wants from you to feel supported. Asking her to guide you will show her that you truly care about her feelings and well-being on a bad day.
Gauge her mood and personal needs at the end of the day. Whether she works full-time or stays home with the children, she’s bound to be more stressed on some days than others. When you see her, look at her facial expression and posture. If she looks sad, giving her a comforting hug may help in a healthy way. If she looks tense or angry, a better way to deal with it is to be a good listener and offer to prepare dinner while she takes a few minutes alone to relax.
Ask more questions and try to be a more supportive life partner. Ask her about what she did that day, what she’d like to eat for dinner, and what she thinks about current events. This simple gesture of a helping hand shows her that you’re interested in her life and value her opinions and own needs.
Listen more and talk less – Put yourself in your partner’s shoes
Some men tend to want to fix problems with little effort, but women sometimes just want to express their own feelings, fears and frustrations without looking for advice. When she brings up an issue she’s having at work, listens to the entire story without interrupting. There is no room for the lack of support. When she’s done, ask what she’s planning to do about it. If she doesn’t have a solution, ask if she’d like your advice. Help your partner cope with the situation. If she says no, drop it and let her fight her own battles. That goes a long way.
Compliment her more in tough times. Tell her when her hair looks nice and tell her how well she played when she beats you at tennis.
Give her more hugs, kisses, and back rubs. Rather than using these gestures to try to initiate sex, use them with the sole intention of being close to her and making her feel good.
One of the most common complaints among married couples is that one does not support the other. Unfortunately, the word “support” has several different meanings. Emotional, physical, financial, spiritual, and self-esteem are just some of the kinds of support and solid foundation spouses can offer their mates. When someone wants partner support of a certain type, it would be best to flat-out ask for it. Unless your spouse is a mind reader, they may not be able to guess what kind of support you need at the given time.
As a sort of general guide, there are several ways you can support your spouse regularly. These things should not need special requests from your spouse, they are all just nice things to do for him/her.
Interests And Meaningful Steps For Greater Intimacy
This is where some of the happiest couples seem to have a bit of trouble. You do not have to fall in love with your spouse’s interests/hobbies, simply be positive and encouraging when she mentions one to you. Compliment your spouse on the activity and new experience (for example a new hand-painted picture), and willingly listen and pay attention to her talk about the hobby.
It is simple respect to support your spouse in the pursuit of her interests. Besides, you would appreciate that same respect from her, right? By respecting and encouraging your wife, you are showing that you care about her as a person and that you are not an unsupportive husband.
Career And Active Listening For End Results
Be there for your spouse as a sounding board on those stressful times when they just want to quit and never look back. Listen when your wife tells you about a promotion or something funny that happened at work. To boil it all down, show him/her you appreciate that he/she has a job and care about what is happening with it.
It is important to support your spouse in his/her chosen career because it means something to them. Set aside the fact that it is extra income, if he/she needs to talk about it, then sit down and lend an ear.
Self Improvement Is A Challenging Situation
This one can be a little tricky, so tread carefully. You certainly do not want to get caught in a lose-lose situation. For example, your wife says they are tired of being fat and plan to go on a diet. There is virtually no way to respond to that without hurting her feelings or causing a fight. You want to avoid scenarios that place you in the “mean” seat.
If your spouse wants to take a cooking class, offer to join them. That class could become another bonding time for the two of you. Another example is if your wife wants to start exercising more, offer to go on walks with her. These are both good examples of how to support your spouse in self-improvement ventures. The act of offering to participate with them is kind and does not suggest you feel negative about the activities.
It is not always easy knowing exactly what kind of support your wife is needing at any given time. The types of support mentioned above are just good sense. Couples should always try to be there for each other, offer the benefit of the doubt and have good communication, no matter what the situation of a difficult day.
You may not always see eye to eye but try to see heart to heart. We are in fact emotional beings. If it is important to your wife, then make it important to you too. You would hope for the same kind of honour and and the partner’s needs and respect to be shown to you, right from your supportive wife? These are the traits of a supportive partner and decent human beings!
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