Relationships: The gift of missing someone

Once you've been in a relationship for a while, there's a good chance things will start to become routine.

You'll spend an inordinate amount of time together, leading to complacency in the relationship.

Unfortunately, couples who are attached at the hip risk growing bored of one another. It happens more often than you think.

So what can do to avoid this fate?

Before you got into your relationship, you had a life of your own right? Well, that doesn't have to change once you become involved with someone.

The two of you have separate hobbies -- from sports to mall hopping -- that you can enjoy alone or with friends. Have a boys' or girls' night, with only your close buddies in attendance.

Your partner does not have to accompany you everywhere you go. Leave a little mystery. You shouldn't be able to predict each other's every move.

Spending hours apart here and there affords both of you the opportunity to miss each other. It builds anticipation, as both of you can look forward to sharing details on the day's events.

And resist the urge to engage in back-and-forth texting. If you're going to be communicating digitally, you might as well stay home all day together.

Of course, couples should not spend too much time apart either. If days turn into weeks of not seeing each other, something is seriously amiss.

It's all about striking the right balance, much like everything else in life. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, much too much distance can water down the relationship to the point where one or more partners may stray.

Next time you find your relationship in a rut, try giving your partner the gift of missing you. Give each other a little breathing room. It may just be what it needs to get on the right track.

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