Photo of Ncumisa Lerato Kunana

Small romantic gestures that help keep the spark alive in relationships

If you have been in a long-term relationship for what seems like forever, the mundane day-to-day can become boring and you may feel the spark dying down.

Scheduling a fancy candlelit dinner or a weekend getaway with sun and lots of margaritas can temporarily restore the spark in a relationship, but what about keeping the spark alive in your mundane daily routine—when there are no white beaches or spicy margaritas, when you aren’t eating steak and gulping red wine by candlelight?

1. Try something new 

When habits and routines become the norm, relationships become stale. As a result, try something new to see your partner and your relationship in a new light. Whether it’s planning a trip to a new destination or trying something new in bed.

2. Cook together 

One of you is probably the “chef” of the relationship and the other is the dishwasher, or maybe you take turns making dinner depending on who is busier that day. But this weekend, try cooking together -spice it up by wearing aprons only.

3. Have breakfast together 

Dinner is the obvious way to spend quality time with your significant other. But why should dinner have all the fun when breakfast can be equally special? Because we usually rush through the first meal of the day or eat it on the go, change up your routine and eat breakfast together rather than in front of your laptops.

4. Gestures of kindness 

Allowing your partner to sleep a little longer while you get up and make the coffee, warming up the car on a cold morning, or sending a loving text message in the middle of a long day are all examples of small acts of kindness.

All of these are small gestures that foster tenderness and trust. They demonstrate that you and your partner are emotionally tuned in to each other.

Also see: What defines cheating in a relationship

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