Eddie

I wanted to find something that was LBTBQ+ friendly. Relish is more inclusive, so it didn’t really say that you are a man or a woman, or husband and wife, instead it customized things for you and the language was funny and had lots of images and gifs. Every other app I’d tried didn’t look like Relish at all. I was also trying to find something that I could use on my own. My partner is not necessarily into using apps and I don’t want to push him to do anything, so I kind of get to do it on my own. But I really like how you get to sync that so that if my partner did want to, he could sync the app and we could be on the same page.

Another Relish stand-out feature is how customized it is. Right away when I signed up I found out what animals we are (which are symbols for the 4 attachment types) and I found out I was a Cockatoo and he found out he was a Siamese Cat. We had never known our attachment types before and it was so helpful to have insight into each other and why we behave and communicate the way we do.

After using Relish for a couple weeks my favorite thing about it was the activities and examples it listed… it helped me be more thoughtful and spontaneous. I remember one lesson specifically told us to “Go try a new restaurant you’ve never been to,” so that’s what we did! We had a great time and from then on I’ve done everything the app tells me to do because it gives me examples, lists, and ideas, and I love the feedback I get from the coaches too. Like, I reached out to my coach about what I put as the thing that my partner could do that would make me happy (be more romantic) and she asked me what specifically I wanted from him. I told them about an incident we had been through that caused us to have some trust issues and she responded and told me that she’d send me lessons about rebuilding trust. So it really helps to reach out to your coach! They’ll pick lessons for exactly what you need, when you need it.

It really is the perfect tool to navigate your relationship because it provides great resources and actionable things for you to do. If I was reading an article about relationships it wouldn’t provide me with action items, whereas with the app it doesn’t just give you things to do, it also tracks everything on a chart that says “here’s where you are with communication” and “here’s where you are with intimacy.”

There was one lesson in particular that stands out to me and made a really noticeable difference in our relationship. I got a lesson about household chores and the activity said that if you notice your partner constantly doing this one thing, try doing it for them and see how they react. One came to mind instantly for me: that my partner sweeps the floor all the time, he’s like a clean freak, and he always does a deep clean on Wednesdays. I’m clean, but I’m nowhere near him, so I’m always asking him “Why are you sweeping? The floor is clean!” and he’ll always respond: “Because I just want to.” So the next Wednesday I swept the floor and cleaned before he got  home and he was so surprised. We discussed it afterwards and he told me that that gesture really made him feel appreciated and I told him how grateful I was that he kept our home so neat. Now, it’s an inside joke but I do it every week, and every time I pick up a broom I just think to myself “Oh this was all because of Relish.”

 

At the end of the day, I just feel like Relish removes barriers between us.

At the end of the day, I just feel like Relish removes barriers between us. I love how it tailors custom lessons to me, and only gives me things I need. My coach and I communicate like every week and it’s one of the reasons I stay so accountable, even after all these months. It’s just one of the best tools I can think of for improving relationships… I tell everyone about it.