Relationships are hard work. We all know that. It’s fun and exciting when it all begins, you fall in love, and you make a commitment. But the day-to-day hassles of life can easily take their toll. Sure, you still love your partner, but arguing about who’s turn it is to take out the garbage is a bit of a passion killer. You can’t bring your A-game every day and sometimes you realise that you are both sitting silently in front of the television instead of talking, sharing your feelings, doing things together that are fun and that you both enjoy. Before you know it, it has been over a week since you’ve had sex and a lot of frustration and resentment starts to build up.
In this article we’re going to take a look at a couple of suggestions that you might want to try to help keep your relationship fresh.
Make a gym date
You don’t have to work out together, but making a time when you can meet at the gym after work not only motivates you both to get to the gym on a regular basis, but also gives you something in common to talk about and an experience to share. You can laugh at the muscle-heads in the weight-room or try a new class together. Track your progress on an app such as GymBuddy to keep each other on track.
Play games together
I recently spent a couple of days staying with my parents (who are both retired). Every morning, over breakfast, they sit together and do the crossword. They work together at it, debating possible answers, enjoying the challenge. My sister always seems to have a game of scrabble on the go with her husband – whenever they stop for a coffee somewhere and the kids run off to the playground, my sister pulls out the iPad and they resume their Triple Word Score battle. I’m not quite as intellectual as the rest of my family, but my partner and I have started to play bingo online with Paddy Power – it’s just something fun that we like doing together whenever we’ve got a bit of spare time.
Get competitive
Everyone loves reality cooking shows – why not make your own? Challenge your friends or neighbours to a cook-off. You and your partner cook one night and then your opponents cook another night. Everyone scores the dishes – you can even film some feedback and post it on YouTube. It doesn’t matter who wins, but it’s something fun and silly that you and your partner can do together.
There is no silver bullet or magic secret to building a strong and sustainable relationship – it takes persistence, perseverance, and a whole lot of patience. The key thing is not to be complacent – keep working at it, if you try something and it doesn’t really work, try something else! Keep your relationship fresh.