10 Relationship Resolutions for a Stress-Free New Year

Relationships are a complex beast. The best ones are easy, but even healthy relationships need routine maintenance. This year, resolve to give your significant other and the connection you share the attention they deserve.

Unlike revamping your body, which will require countless curls and minutes on the treadmill, renewing your relationship is less about hard work and more about putting a little effort forth; it's the small changes that matter most. Start with these 10 relationship resolutions and you'll be well on your way to a stress-free, happy New Year.

RELATED: 10 Sex Resolutions For 2013

By Shanté Cosme (@ShanteCosme)

Send your anonymous sex and dating questions to [email protected], and we'll answer them in our new advice column, 99 Problems.

You could have it all in your relationship. Anything you want, be it more time with friends, or, hell, maybe even a threesome— you just have to ask.

Just say no to passive-aggressive communication, or worse yet, no communication at all. Neither of you should expect the other to intuit your wants and needs or make the mistake of assuming your partner can read your thoughts.

This year, articulate the things that irritate or upset you, the fears you have, and any other issues lingering in your mind. By voicing these things, you give her a chance to address, fulfill and/or fix them. It's counter-productive to be silent. That's how tiny issues end relationships. Put it all out on the table and give your relationship the effort it deserves.

Being invested in your career is a commendable quality, but it's important to maintain that elusive work-life balance. If your nightly routine includes coming home from work to talk about work for another hour, you need to reexamine your conversation skills.

Any supportive partner will be happy to listen to your concerns, or hear updates on that important project you're working on. But by allowing work to dominate your conversations, you're not allowing your mind the reprieve it needs and deserves.

Your girlfriend is not your therapist or your career strategist. She's your lover. Whenever possible, you should be laughing and having mutually entertaining, lighthearted conversation. A good way to a put a foot in the right direction: Start by banning conversations about work at dinner and in bed. Because really, you should have more interesting things to talk about.

To grow together, you also need to grow individually. So when you whip up that list of resolutions, be sure to share them with each other.

By articulating your hopes and goals for the year, you allow your partner to be support and assist you in making them a reality. Whether it's hitting the gym more, or hustling up the ladder at work, you can push one another, help maintain your motivation throughout the year, and keep each other's eyes fixated on the prize.

Bonus: When either of you achieve your desired goal, it will feel like a mutual victory.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but spending time apart makes your relationship stronger and far more exciting. It's healthy to miss one another.

You are both unique people with your own goals, interests, and friends. Your lives should overlap, but should never consume one another's to the point that you do everything together and your friends sporadically question whether you're still alive.

Encourage each other's independence. Disappear every once in awhile. Do your own thing with your boys. Pursue every hobby you have with the same vigor you did before you got yourself a girlfriend. You'll feel more fulfilled, and she'll be more intrigued, and your relationship will reap the benefits.

Being romantic is often synonymous with corny, cliched moves you ripped off from a rom-com. Your girl doesn't want rehashed romance, nor does she need some elaborate scheme. She only wants you to be thoughtful.

Toss the red roses, and opt for a subtle gesture that says, "I know you, and I thought of you." Bring home her favorite candy, just because. Unexpectedly make reservations at that restaurant she mentioned a few times. If you live together, do the dishes without being asked.

Contrary to popular belief, most women are not high maintenance. They want small, thoughtful gestures that show you're thinking of them and you care. That's enough to satisfy even the most demanding of women.

Sex isn't just a carnal pleasure, it's a way for two people to connect. In a relationship, sex is just as important as communicating or spending quality time together. You could even argue it is quality time together.

This year, committ to getting more naked one-on-one time. Presumably, your partner is the only person you get to have sex with. So, make the most of it. Make it your aim this year to appreciate the gorgeous woman in your bed, and give her plenty of that sexual healing only you can provide.

Out of all of your resolutions, this should be the easiest one to keep.

At the start of your relationship, your aim was to get comfortable enough with one another that you could stop jumping through hoops and start wearing sweatpants during movie nights. Now that you've reached that stage, your aim is to get uncomfortable.

Hear us out. We're happy you no longer feel you need bandz to make her dance, and movie nights are now sufficient entertainment, but don't use your comfort as an excuse to slack on your game.

There's a fine line between comfort and boredom, and it's your job to make sure the relationship never makes that dangerous transition. Comfortable and exciting can be mutually exclusive.

Never stop trying to woo her. Keep yourself looking tight. Dress up for dates. Shave. Trim your damn nose hairs. And for the love of god, please don't discuss your bathroom habits. Some things are better left unsaid.

Life is too short to be stressing every time your girlfriend goes out with her friends. Let your girl live!

A healthy relationship means trust. It means respecting one another's privacy. It means being secure with yourself, and confident your girlfriend knows what she has.

Jealousy truly is a wasted emotion. 90% of the time, it will be unfounded and only serve to create issues where there were none. This year, resolve to do away with imaginary fears and doubts, and you'll reap freedom from insecurity and renewed satisfaction in your relationship.

Watching Breaking Bad on the couch after work while slurping ramen, while awesome, is not exactly quality time.

Quality time is a few hours you set aside to spend together, not time you squeeze in between work and sleep. It's going on an adventure together, whether it's checking out the new exhibition at the museum, or exploring a new part of your city together. All that matters is that you set aside time to do something together.

The point is, in 2013, you need to take the damn girl on more dates.

Listening to your partner, like, actually processing the words they're saying, can be challenging. To say the least.

When you first started dating, you were likely hanging on her every word. Every anecdote entertained you, every detail of the stories she told you about her childhood seemed to hold hidden meaning. Now, you find yourself tuning in and out of her stories like a static-prone radio station. You often hear only the tail ends of sentences. She asks if you're listening, and you say yes, but in reality, you're only half listening, and you both know it.

This year, take the time tune back in again. Your partner is constantly changing, and the only way to keep up is to pay closer attention to what she's saying. By truly listening, you'll increase your connection and understanding of her, and maybe even learn something that might surprise you.