Feb. 15 (UPI) — Kristen Bell shared her best advice for a “healthy” marriage on Valentine’s Day.
The 37-year-old actress said in an Instagram post Wednesday that her relationship with husband Dax Shepard is built on vulnerability, gratitude and “necessary separateness.”
“I received a letter from a nice man who asked if I could write a note to his friends who are getting married,” she explained in the caption. “After I was finished I realized what I wrote is pretty much the A-Z of how @daxshepard and I keep our relationship healthy.”
Bell said she initially “wrote something congratulatory” before deciding to go deeper and share her “wisdom” in a handwritten note.
“Vulnerability always begets connection and intimicy. Stay vulnerable with each other,” the star advised.
“In 10 years, when the dopamine has waned, remember: Life is a crazy ride. It’s a privilege to go through it with a partner,” she wrote.
“Take necessary separatness. It will make your marriage better,” the star added.
Bell also stressed the importance of appreciating people for who they are and allowing them to pursue their interests.
“Loving someone despite their faults, failings, or character defects, is the most powerful loving thing you can do,” the actress said.
“Rejoice in what makes the other person happy, and allow them their individual interests,” she added.
“Know that everyone is doing the best they can with what they’ve got. So get a bigger emotional tool box to fix your problems,” she counseled.
Bell and Shepard, who share 4-year-old daughter Lincoln and 3-year-old daughter Delta, married in October 2013. The actress said in an interview with “Harry” in September that her early relationship with Shepard was “toxic.”
“When we first met, we fell madly in love and I loved the dramatic exit. There is nothing I craved more,” she recalled. “I realized how incredibly toxic it was only after he pointed it out.”
