The Bridgemaker site has a wonderful article which discusses the ways to love consciously. It provides important tips for having a healthy relationship, for instance:
A relationship is like a bank account, it requires regular deposits in order to grow and thrive. This is so true. Like a bank account a relationship with be full before a crisis occurs and heavy withdrawals need to be made. If not, it can become heavily overdrawn to the point that it fails all together.
I also like the statement, "Be Happy, Not Right". I often ask couples in marital therapy, "Do you want to be married, or be right?" Unfortunately, some couples are more invested in being right than being together and these relationships do not withstand the test of time.
Another excellent point made in the article is that our perceptions or assumptions about why our partner is doing something can be wrong. They often come from our own motivations and beliefs and sometimes have absolutely nothing at all to do with what is going on inside the mind or heart of our partner. This is why good communication is so important in relationships. I believe the lack of good communication is the number one cause of relationships breaking up. Talk to each other, listen to what they say and make sure you understand where they are coming from.
You can read the entire article here.