RV Living: Maintaining a Healthy Relationship

In our recent post about Adjusting to RV Life, we touched on relationships and how important it is to work as a team. It got me inspired to really dive into the struggles that couples can face on the road and how we’ve worked to maintain a healthy relationship.

You’re probably seeing a lot more of each other now than when you were living a stationary life. You’re together 24/7, in a much smaller space, and faced with completely new obstacles you’ve never had to deal with before. Relationships can start to feel the strain of all these new changes.  Here are some things that have helped us work through issues and grow closer as a couple.

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Tackling Issues Head On

It’s time to open up those lines of communication and put it all out on table. Dealing with issues as they arise is important. Tension in a small space can feel suffocating until its resolved. When living in a house, you could probably escape to some other room or go to work and leave things unresolved. Now you’re staring at your partner across the dinette and have to deal with the situation at hand. Thats a good thing! You can still stew over things if you want, but it sure makes it difficult to work together as a team. Don’t be afraid to communicate your feelings and needs and apologize for what was said in frustration. Stress can make us do and say some things we’re not proud of and this lifestyle is full of frustrating and stressful moments, so start practicing!

Creating Space

Sometimes it feels like we can’t get out of each others way and theres no separation or privacy. Going for a walk, exercising or utilizing the outdoor living area is a great way to decompress and have some time for ourselves. It’s a good excuse to pick up a new hobby or start a new routine. We’ve also found that creating mental space is just as important as physical space.  Our little camper doesn’t have much room to spread out, so when we’re stuck inside, reading a book or listening to music with headphones can help give us that much needed separation..

Being Present and Engaged

Sometimes we get caught up in work, social media, the news, or daily life… We forget to dedicate some time to being fully present and engaged with one another. Our favorite way to reconnect is to simply take a walk together. We leave our phones behind and we have great conversations about goals, dreams, stresses, inspirations and whatever is on our mind. We explore a new place, get some exercise, and bounce ideas off each other all at the same time. This is one of our favorite ways to connect, but it could be anything you enjoy doing together. The activity doesn’t really matter as long as you’re dedicating some quality time and attention to the one you love.

Friendships and Support

Connecting with other nomads is a great way to create friendships and meet folks that understand what you’re going through. We found most of our friends on the road through the Escapees/ Xscapers community. They have taught us so much and continue to support us in in our journey. Friends and family back home are another great support system to keep you grounded. Make time to call or video chat with family and friends, no matter how busy you get. There’s a huge online community for support too – we’ve really enjoyed More Thank a Wheelin’s Facebook group: Full-Time RVing – The Emotional Journey. RV life can be busy and hectic sometimes, but having extra emotional support  will make it easier to cope with the changes.

This journey has taught me so much about myself and challenged me in ways I never imagined. It’s pushed our relationship to the limits and brought us closer than ever before. I’m thankful for the lessons we’ve learned, so that we could become who we are now. Maintaining a healthy relationship is so important to us, so we can be the best team possible. We’re both growing individually and as a couple and I can’t wait to see whats next!