Having your emotional needs met and meeting your partner’s emotional needs is crucial to a successful relationship. Despite having open communication with your partner, your needs still need to be met. Alternatively, if you aren’t meeting your partner’s needs, it can lead to some dissatisfaction in the relationship.
If you’re in a relationship with someone who matches your temperament, finding ways to meet each other’s needs can be beneficial. After all, isn’t that why we spend our time with others in the first place?
1. Be a giver
Give your partner compliments and gifts, give them the opportunity to share their emotions with you and for you to share yours. More importantly, ensure you’re giving more or as much as you take from the relationship. Giving to your partner is an important first step in meeting and matching needs. The more you give the more likely they are to reciprocate or feel that their needs are being met.
2. Let them guide you to their emotional needs
Playing the emotional needs guessing game is like playing a board game without reading the rules. You can guess a few things and get them right, but the best way to play the game is by reading the rule book.
It’s all about healthy communication. Healthy communication opens doors for your relationship that might have been previously locked. So, ask your partner for help guiding you to their needs. Make sure you are also guiding your partner to your feelings and wants as well.
3. Listen to their wants & emotional needs
If you put all that effort into learning about their emotional needs, make sure you are listening to them also. Even the little things like listening to their day and asking questions centered around that are massively beneficial to the relationship. If you are meeting each other’s wants and needs, then you are on the right track to fulfillment.
emotional needs and desires
Emotional needs and desires can go hand in hand. The things you crave and desire from your partner are typically due to your needs not being met. If you aren’t sure how to discuss your needs with your partner. Try asking yourself what you desire from your significant other. Once you tap into that part of yourself, you will have a better idea of guiding your significant other to your wants, needs and desires.
4. Learn to ask the right questions
Asking about your partner’s day is a good start. But a better way to dive into your partner’s needs would be to ask how they are feeling and if there is anything on their mind. When you start asking each other these types of questions, it creates a healthy forum for conversation. Think of it as taking inventory of your relationship. You can also ask things like, “are you satisfied?” or “is there anything you want me to do differently?”
5. Offer validation to their emotional needs
Let them know that you hear them and that you will keep their emotional needs in mind. Once you know what their needs are, you can start fulfilling them. Take them seriously and ask yourself once a month or even once a week if you did anything to fulfill those needs.
Validating your significant other’s feelings will play a key role in their fulfillment. If your partner isn’t validated, you can’t expect them to get satisfaction from the relationship. Show them that they are an equal partner in this process.
Tying it all together
Not everything listed will work for your relationship. But it is a healthy start. Give yourself time to discuss with your partner. Let them know that you are trying hard to meet their emotional needs and that you don’t just want to keep going through the motions. When they see the effort you are making to meet their emotional needs, they will know you are trying. This can also make them an active participant instead of an unknowing third party.
You also may need to learn the art of compromise. Compromising can be an incredibly powerful tool for meeting your partner’s emotional needs.
Talk to Us First
If you’re wondering if you should end your relationship because your emotional needs aren’t being met. I urge you to take a breath. Give it time and talk to your partner. Communicate effectively with them. After you’ve communicated your issues, if you still feel like you guys aren’t there. I recommend checking into couples counseling.