Are you friends with your significant other? We don’t just mean enjoying hanging out with one another when it’s convenient or catching up with each other every once in a while. We don’t even mean friends with benefits. No, we’re talking about an unwavering friendship… best friends, if you will.

The importance of friendship in marriage and while dating is equally vital; a couple should feel as if they can trust and be supported by their partner as much as their significant other can feel the same about them. We’re talking about that deep friendship love that every long-term, committed romantic relationship should have.

Are you ready to strengthen and build a strong relationship? Start by reigniting your friendship with these eight tips below.

1. Decide that you want a romantic friendship

To have this deepened sense of friendship, you should both be on the same page about it. Keep in mind that a healthy relationship, a balanced relationship, takes place between partners who feel a strong sense of love and connection to one another. What better way to foster this than through true friendship?

2. Foster deep friendship love…together

It may seem silly, but sit down and actually have a conversation about how you think you can strengthen your friendship together. Do you need more deep conversations with each other? Planning out more date nights? Be more honest about how you can improve your relationship? No relevant topic should be off the table.

3. Talk about how your day went

If you’re looking to have better conversations in your romantic friendship, start simple. Every day, ask them how their day went. It doesn’t matter if they were at work or on vacation; asking this shows that you care and can open the table for more in-depth chats.

4. Ask them what’s new and exciting

Often, we get so caught up in the daily grind of our lives that we forget to share the highlights with one another. What are some new and exciting things happening in your life? How about in your partner’s? Regardless of how big or small, sharing in these positive events is an excellent foundation for friendship.

5. Be open about what’s on your mind

It’s time to consider how you can support your partner’s personal growth while simultaneously talking about your needs. Open communication is the best way to achieve this and is the perfect chance to build a sense of honesty. When disagreements arise, as they do in any relationship, it’s also a great way to encourage conflict resolution.

6. Go on dates whenever possible

Friends hang out, so it makes sense that in your most successful romantic relationship (providing you’re not long-distance), you’d be spending time together. There are so many unique date ideas you can go on together to spend time chatting and getting to know each other better, and plenty of options for free dates, too.

7. Don’t put your intimate relationship on the back burner

Building intimacy without sex is essential, but this friendship is different from all of your others; thus, maintaining passion is still crucial. Keep things fun by finding new sex games to play as a couple, switching up where you have sex (for example, trying out shower sex), or even slowing things down to be more intimate.

8. Remember: friends don’t ignore each other

Pay attention to the signals that your partner is giving off, just as you would in any other friendship. (Genuine) friends don’t disregard each other’s feelings and friends don’t cut each other off without reason. A great way to establish a deepened connection with your significant other is by discovering their attachment style and love language, and consider these going forward.

In an intimate relationship, striving for that ‘friendship to relationship’ feeling is so important. A couple should mutually feel as though they can trust and be supported by each other in equal measure. This is the kind of deep friendship love that should exist in any long-term, committed romantic connection. As you continually develop this together, you will have a better relationship and a better grasp on balancing life and love as a unit.

An intimate friendship (or a romantic friendship, if you will) is possible. In fact, it can help a couple thrive and deepen their relationship with one another, developing a more secure attachment.

What are your tips on how to become friends with your spouse again (or any romantic relationship, for that matter)? How can you foster a deep friendship love in your intimate relationship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

8 Ways to Make Your Romantic Partner Your Friend Again