Step into the new year with these promises to your partner

Who remembers the last scene from the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani? It’s New Year's Eve. Naina is sitting on her couch, home alone, flipping through the television channels. The doorbell rings. She can’t believe Bunny has shown up at her house with a bottle of wine, a celebratory cake and an engagement ring. And as he proposes, Naina walks away, surprised and overwhelmed. He then makes a promise to her—to travel with her, spend time with her, be married to her. And just as it's nearing midnight, they give each other the tightest hug and bring in the new year with a promise of adventure, time and love. To put it simply, promises make the heart flutter. They evoke reassurance, and loyalty and are soul-satisfying to the old-school romantics. As 2022 comes to an end, here are some promises you can make to your partner for the year that is to come. 

Promise to practice gratitude 

“Nothing is more honourable than a grateful heart,” Lucius Seneca once said. According to psychologists, practising gratitude enables people to feel more positively about themselves, others and the environment around them. Think about how your partner will feel when you say a random ‘thank you’ at the end of a long day. Think about how you would feel if your partner did the same for you. Made you smile right? Expressing how grateful you are for your partner—for everything they do and everything they are—is going to make them feel appreciated, connected and intimate in ways more than one. Here’s your cue to make that promise of gratitude—write it, share it, and show it. Just let them know. 

Promise to show up when you’re needed the most

Everyone has those days—even weeks and months sometimes—when they feel low, lost and pretty much unlike their normal selves. When you’re in a downward spiral, all you need is for someone to be present with you as you navigate your way through the maze of circumstances that you’re facing. So, promise to show up and be that source of support to your partner when they need you the most because love is unconditional—through the low phases and the high ones. Promise each other to be there, without excuses and reasons. Small steps often go a long way in reaffirming faith in the relationship that is. 

Promise to remind your partner that you love them even on the not-so-great days 

Every relationship comes with its set of arguments, disagreements, and fights. Grow through those bad days—together. You both may be upset, angry, hurt, frustrated even. Take your time to get over those emotions, process the conversation, but come back to resolve it. Remember, it’s both of you against the problem, not each other. Promise each other to remind each other of this, and that you love them despite the problems the two of you may be facing. And here’s a pro tip: don’t miss the opportunity to remind them you love them even on the regular work days and even the most amazing days, because like Oprah says, “When you make loving others the story of your life, there’s never a final chapter because the legacy continues.” 

Promise to always be by their side

For the New Year, promise to stand by them—support their career decisions, their personal goals and ambitions. Encourage them, and support them not only in words but in action. Enable them to be their best selves. Respect their boundaries, don’t push them. Stand by them when they’re faced with obstacles at work or with family. Promise to be by their side every day (and night ;)) and shower them with hugs, kisses and squishes—we promise it makes everything better. When you have the presence and support from the one you love the most, you feel stronger and more empowered even to fight the battles that you need to. 

Promise to have once-a-week date nights 

These are a definite must. Date nights keep the high-school you alive, they bring the spark that is much required amidst the din of everyday life. Leave work early, get dressed, buy some flowers and pick up your partner and have a glass of wine by a stunning sunset. Be a teenager again and go for a game of bowling and arcade games. You can also choose to stay in, get into your sweats and let your partner pick a movie for the night. Pamper each other with cuddles and each other’s favourite food. Promise to make time and tick off things on your bucket list because life is truly too short to be otherwise.