6 ways to encourage & support your significant other




Today starts a big day for Matthew. Well the beginning of this year did actually. Matthew starts the MBA program at Tech today.Not only is he starting the MBA program and taking a FULL load but has been and will continue to study and sit for all four parts of the CPA exam. I am so proud of him and can't wait to see him reach all his goals and Lord willing I will be able to do so by his side. With that being said I want to make sure I encourage him and support him in every way I can and not just in this next year but always. Sometimes I worry about this, maybe I'm not doing enough or maybe I am adding to his already stressed days. So with all that being said I have been thinking of some ways to help support and encourage him. No we are not married and no we are not engaged but I think it is important for people to encourage and support their boyfriend/girlfriend even before engagement and marriage. Many people just want to be in a relationship but they don't understand what all a relationship involves. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my relationship with Matthew for a single thing in this world but it takes work and commitment. I know marriage takes a lot more and there is a lot more involved with marriage but I believe relationships take work and effort as well. It prepares you for marriage in some ways. Just like I believe you can't REALLY know someone in just a year or two and then decide to get married without running into complications, this coming May will mark 4 years with Matthew and to this day I am still learning different things about him, but that's for another post and day! After thinking about all of this I have decided that I want to do something small for Matthew at least once a week. I don't really want to put a limit on this but I know that some weeks will be busier than others so I might not get the chance to do more than one thing a week.   Here are just a few different ways to encourage/support/show that you care or are thinking of him without breaking the bank.   1.Pray for them Prayer is huge.The first thing I do when my alarm goes off is pray for Matthew. I pray for his day, I pray he doesn't get too stressed out and I pray he feels encouraged not only by me but by others and I pray for his studies and tests if he has any that day.   2. Notes.  If you don't want to spend money this is probably the easiest and cheapest thing you can do to encourage your significant other and it doesn't take but maybe 5-10 minutes! Just write a small note to encourage them, thank them for being a great example, tell them that you appreciate them and love them, etc. I left Matthew a note in his book he was studying out of a couple of weeks ago and just let him find it when he was studying and he really appreciated it. Of course I was DYING for him to hurry and find it and when he did I was just about as happy as a kid in a candy store.   3. Listen. Sometimes I just need to sit there and listen about his day without interrupting or waiting for him to finish his sentence so I can tell him about mine. So just sit there and listen, REALLY listen. No phones, no computer and no TV distracting you and respond back at the appropriate time with heartfelt responses.   4.Tell them you appreciate them. You could write this in their note but nothing says I love you more than telling them in person that you appreciate them and all the hard work they are doing.   5. Take care of dinner Matthew will be spending his days this year 1.) In class 2.) Working on campus 3.) Studying for classes + the CPA exam's so he's not going to have much free time. I have been working on meal planning for the up coming week on Saturday or Sunday nights. We usually eat dinner together every night either at my apt or his apt. So I need to focus on what we are going to have for dinner more instead of relying on him to do it. No, I'm not his mom or wife and yes, he is very capable of fixing his own meals but it will take some stress away if I can help in that department more.   6. Be their biggest fan Let them know that you support them and their goals. Celebrate different milestones/accomplishments together. Whether it be passing a test or the class or getting a GA position. When Matthew found out he had been offered a Graduate Assistantship position at Tech we celebrated with dinner and a movie but you don't always have to do dinner and a movie to celebrate. There are plenty of things to do such as getting frozen yogurt, movie night at you apt/house, making their favorite dessert, etc.   I am so proud of Matthew and I can't wait to be able to continue encouraging/supporting him in the future for all of the milestones he will come to. I am always looking for new ways to encourage/support him so if you have any ideas let me know!! :) Happy Thursday friends! 

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6 ways to encourage & support your significant other