If you’re together with someone long enough, things start to get routine. Dishes need to get done, kids need to get picked up from school, and you find yourself without the time to dedicate to the passion you once shared. As Valentine’s Day approaches, don’t let the romance fizzle out. Here are some tips that will bring you right back to the fiery-hot passion you felt back in the early years of your relationship.
1. Be generous with your affection
Simple touches throughout the day will show your partner you care and remind them why you got together in the first place. There’s nothing more simply romantic than holding your partner’s hand while watching a movie together, or grazing their butt while they’re doing the dishes.
2. Dress Up
Yes, sweatpants are comfortable, but your partner will appreciate it if you take the time to make a little extra effort with your appearance. A pair of new shoes or a spritz of a different perfume or cologne will help your partner see you in a new light.
3. Surprise
Especially for people who lead highly scheduled lives, it helps to bring an element of surprise into the mix. Show up to your partner’s work with a home-cooked meal that you can eat together, or perhaps send flowers to their desk. They’ll feel appreciated and excited by the element of the new.
4. Role Play
In this article for FLARE, writer Kaitlin Fontana describes role-playing going on a date with her long-time partner for the first time. As corny as it sounds, pretending to meet your partner again can be super romantic—and you might even learn a thing or two you didn’t know along the way.
5. Deepen your intimacy
The whole world exploded after Mandy Len Catron wrote her Modern Love essay on the 36 questions psychologists designed to make strangers fall in love. While you and your partner certainly aren’t strangers, the questions are designed to create a sense of intimacy and you finish off the experiment by staring into the other person’s eyes for four minutes. If you haven’t already, ask each other the 36 questions (handily compiled here) and get to know your partner in a whole different light.
6. Communicate in new ways
Do you and your partner text each other to get in touch or does a quick phone call suffice? If you’re big texters, shoot your partner a phone call so that they can hear the sound of your voice in the middle of the day. And if you normally call, send a text so that they know you’re thinking of them periodically throughout the day.
Also on RNR:
https://youtu.be/z3OIHbYU40k