Lots of you will have struggled with your romantic relationships during 2020. It was a very challenging year, particularly if you hadn’t been able to see your long-term partner much, or if you felt like you were stuck indoors with them way too much. At times, it must have felt like your relationship was losing some of its spark. It’s not your fault, or your partners, as who could ever have envisaged the year we had!
Now that we’re into 2021 and restrictions are starting to lift, you might wonder how you can spice up your long-term relationship. Life is getting back to normal, and ideally, so should your relationship. You don’t have to be stuck indoors fighting over who is doing most of the housework day in, day out.
Here are a few ideas to help you maintain a strong relationship and spice it up a little as the world goes back to normal:
Make a big commitment
Most of the time, your relationship feels like it’s straining because it’s hard to know what the other person is feeling. You’re both busy during a pandemic, and you have lots of other things to deal with. It may have felt that sometimes the two of you were drifting apart – especially if you don’t live together and you couldn’t see each other.
Making a big commitment or taking a big step in the relationship can be exactly what you need to calm any fears. But, after the joys of 2020 (that’s being sarcastic by the way!), it could be the perfect time to start pushing towards bigger commitments. If you don’t live together, why not use this time now to start house-hunting together? And if you do live together, perhaps it could be an ideal time to start thinking about future plans, like marriage or starting a family. The commitment levels from your partner will make them seem so much sexier!
Of course, it could be the smaller things, like saying ‘I love you’ for the first time which is a big step for some people. Again, it shows commitment to the relationship, which can steady the ship during a storm.
Communicate as much as possible
Whether you live together or not, try to stay in touch with each other as much as you can, using different communication methods. For me, the best approach is to video call whenever you can if you don’t live together. If you do live together, ensure that you both communicate about everything – even talking through any problems you may have picked up on about your relationship now you’ve been together in such intense times.
Remember that no matter what your relationship status, seeing the other person ‘in person’ or hearing their voice on the phone is the best way to communicate. It’s also much easier to read tones or see how they’re really feeling. Mixed feelings can be perceived over texts, so this is a fantastic way to see how your partner is and if they’re okay.
That’s a key point: always ask how they’re doing. Communication is key at the best of times, but it’s more important after the crazy year we have all had. Let them know you’re always available to talk if they need help. This brings you closer together and keeps the fire burning. Ask them if they feel the relationship is going well, could be worked on, or has been a little strained. Together you can talk through it all if you are both open and honest.
Set aside some ‘couple’ time
For those living together, you may have seen your other half wearing pj’s or loungewear for the good paet of tweleve months. Ladies, I bet your man hasn’t seen you dressed up with makeup on and hair done for ages too!
Now that the world is starting to open back up, show your partner a glimpse into the days you both made an effort. Go out of your way to style your hair all lovely, put on your best clothes, and treat yourself to some new outfits or underwear. I mean, buying new lingerie sets is always a treat, right? Plan to dine outside at a restaurant that’s opening up, and have a bit of a date night when you get back home as well. Make it like it used to be when you could technically go on ‘proper’ dates. All those old feelings of excitement will come flooding back, I promise!
Take up some hobbies together
You may have found that in recent times, the only things you’ve done together include watching a film together or netflix series, spending time on FaceTime or playing a game over Zoom. Now it’s time to bring back the fun, so why not look at having some hobbies together for quality time?
Everyone loves food, and many couples will find they actually cooking dinner together, it’s just something we don’t tend to do! But if you focus on your favourite cuisines and learn to make recipes together, and then of course sit and eat together, it can do wonders for bonding. It’s like being on an actual date, yet having fun and learning along the way. The same could be for working out, going on walks or running together, or even discussing new business ideas you could work on together.
It’s hard to maintain positive vibes after the year we’ve had. Many relationships have struggled, but there will also be many that have flourished. If you think your relationship could do with a boost, consider the ideas above and make working on how to spice up your relationship a priority.
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