I’m all over this Readers’ Digest article:
Show appreciation for your partner at least once every day: “Reconnect with that gratitude instead of taking your relationship for granted.” Start the day by telling each other what you’re grateful for, complimenting one another regularly, saying “I love you,” and comment on a new dress or a new haircut. If you want to take the romance up a few notches, start leaving love notes in unexpected places—by the coffee machine, in his underwear drawer, by the door so he sees it as he’s leaving, or on the garbage can for whoever takes out the trash.
Plan fun, spontaneous date nights: “It really is important to remember how dates used to be, when you’d dress up for them, look your beloved in the eye, be interested in what they say, and allow them to put a twinkle back in your eye,” says Dr. Six. “Remember what made you fall in love with him and treat the date as a special time.”
Use the power of touch to your advantage: “Make sure to hold hands, not only when walking down the street, but at home, in the morning when you first wake up, and at the end of the day before going to sleep,” says Dr. Six. “You don’t have to talk. You can just feel the warmth of your lover’s hand in yours and rest in the comfort of it, enjoying the familiarity of your beloved’s skin and energy.”
Surprise each other with gifts for no reason: “When your love was new, you did sweet things like this for each other, but then (like most people) you slacked off, got busy and the novelty wore off,” explains Dr. Six. “Reignite the pleasure of seeing the delight in your partner’s eyes as they find their little gifts and receive their appreciation and gratitude for the small things you do, just like at the beginning, when you were wooing each other.”
Check in on a regular basis: Think of it as a state-of-the-union conversation between the two of you about your relationship. It can be as simple as 15 minutes on the couch where you talk about what made you happy, what moved you. “The mundane tasks of daily living can dull the sparkle in a relationship, but if you make an effort to be genuinely interested in your spouse’s state of mind and how they’re feeling about things in their life and in the relationship, it’ll have you both feeling closer to each other,” says Dr. Six.
Recreate your wedding night: Remember how you felt on your wedding night and recreate that feeling in your lovemaking—that happy, open-hearted bliss. “There’s nothing like wedding night lovemaking, so try and bring it back by conjuring the expanded feeling you had, the immeasurable joy of being received by your spouse and fully receiving them in turn.”
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