Falling in love is easy, but staying in love is a choice. It’s normal to feel like the spark in your relationship is flaming out—this isn’t just applicable for long-term partners since this could also happen with freshly starting relationships especially if they live together.
There are several reasons for a ‘relationship dip’. It could be having a baby, an involvement to an affair, a major career shift, or a loss of a loved one. All of these may cause a person in a relationship to need space, be awkward and aloof, and to not feel “in love” all the time.
If you ever find yourself stuck in this type of situation, we’ve compiled low-effort activities you can try to reignite the passion in your relationship.
Revisiting Where it All Started
As old couples would say, you can’t expect the fizzy lovebug sensation to last forever. The honeymoon phase sweetness will always be a phase in any relationship, but it’s something that’s just hard to keep. When you first fall in love, there’s always that excitement and passion. As it grows, it becomes more about intimacy and connection.
Visiting the place where you both first met is one of the best and most romantic ways to remind each other of how far your love has come. Sometimes, relationships just need a little reminder from the past to keep that fire burning. Set up a date, plan a surprise, or even better, book an activity on that place that both of you will enjoy doing together.
The beginning stages of a relationship are marked by powerful emotions. It is where you and your love first felt feelings of infatuation, fantasies, and desire for one another. You can always revisit the place where you and your partner started.
You can set up a surprise date—return to the area where you met, even it’s a dating site, or where you celebrated special milestones in your relationship. A walk down the memory lane is always a great idea.
Finding Common Ground
In a relationship, there will be times that you would feel a bit disconnected. One way to bring back the closeness you have with your partner is finding common ground. Interests and preferences change over time. Observe what your partner is interested in recently. Try telling your partner new stuff you discovered. You can even try sharing a secret. There’s a lot of fun ways to bring back the closeness you have.
As time goes by, it may feel like you and your partner are growing apart. If you ever find yourself in this situation, do not grow weary or feel anxious about it. Instead, find ways to strengthen your connection. Try building a common ground through a childhood memory, a dream, or a fantasy. Sharing common grounds is sharing truths–therefore giving and earning each other’s trust. It is always fun to do something together that both of you will surely enjoy. You can start with simple things like watching a movie, cooking, playing board games, or going out.
Acknowledging Your Partner
A simple “Thank you” to your partner can go a long way. For couples in a long-term relationship, acts of service can become a routine and are oftentimes being taken for granted. Serving your partner in simple ways can feel like a responsibility or a chore more than an act of love. This is what we need to avoid, and it is one reason why partners can feel disconnected with one another.
If your partner does something nice for you, let’s say, they made you a cup of coffee in the morning, saying ‘Thank you’ to them means saying ‘I appreciate you and what you’re doing for me’ which actually means a lot–especially to a person that’s going through a major life shift. Being in a relationship should make a person feel seen, loved, and appreciated, and not the other way around. To make a relationship work, there should be a give-and-take situation present.
Romantic Nostalgia
Recalling memories is one of the easiest and most romantic ways to rekindle the spark in relationships. It strengthens the commitment, and at the same time it also recalls the satisfaction and closeness of partners to one another.
There are a lot of activities for couples that you and your partner can do to revisit happy memories together. You can do scrapbooking activities, eat your go-to comfort food at home, or have a trip and revisit your favorite spots. You can also simply look at your old pictures together, listen to songs that were playing on your relationship’s milestones, or even just share stories about romantic moments you had in the past.
The nostalgic feeling will be fun and delightful. It will also make you and your partner realize how far your relationship have come.
Every relationship comes to a point where the excitement fades and the sweetness becomes overrated. It’s not always butterflies and happy times. It will always come to a point that the relationship can get a bit boring. When it happens, may the sense of commitment always prevail. After all, love is a choice. Choosing to be with that person every day is what will make the relationship work. It’s a phase, but there’s always something one can do to bring back the spark.
