Taking time to enjoy the little things, feeling gratitude for them, and putting effort into doing them for others can turn a blah day into a great one. It’s all about choice.

Your partner is probably one of the people you spend the most time with, so the seemingly small ways in which you show up for each other during this time can make a huge difference. Here are five ways:

Listen
If your partner needs to vent, let them vent. If they need to verbalise their worries, be a listening ear. You don’t have to solve anything or offer up solutions; simply hear them. Hug them. Validate their feelings. Make sure you’re not looking at your phone!

Cut each other slack
Neither of you might be at your best right now. You might be stressed, worried, and anxious, or get snippy without meaning to. Or you might feel a surge of annoyance at the same old things—dirty socks left on the floor or doors left open. Cut each other some slack. Take a deep breath and count to ten and bite your tongue. At the end of the day, getting upset over socks isn’t going to help anyone.

Be flexible
Chances are your day-to-day routines are full on. Whether you’re flying by the seat of your pants, or you’ve pieced together a bit of a routine, remain flexible. Do what you can to accommodate and help each other out. Working together will help things run more smoothly, even when it seems anything but. Importantly let each other know what is going on.

Make each other laugh
Maintaining a sense of humour is important in general, but especially during difficult times. Laughing together creates a bright spot in your day, releases endorphins, and relieves tension. A good laugh might be just what you both need after having a difficult day.

Ask them what they need
Do they need help cleaning up after dinner? Do they just need 20 minutes of being alone in silence? Even if they don’t take you up on the offer, the simple act of asking (and being ready to take action) is an easy way to check in with each other throughout the day and an opportunity to support those partners that have a hard time asking for any help.

These things seem obvious, like things you should do to support each other normally. But these habits are important.

So, what “little things” are you doing?

How different would your relationship be if you did these things?