Do you and your partner go on regular dates?
Do you laugh, play, and enjoy each other's company?
Or, are you stuck in a rut with the same old routine, day after day? You know the one - rushing to work, rushing home, rushing through daily errands, rushing to kid activities, rushing through dinner, and then rushing to bed to crash and sleep as much as possible? Exhausting!
So, just where did that fantasy of marriage and relationships being a "happily ever after" experience go in our lives? We sure didn't dream as children about hectic schedules and rushing through our daily lives!
The real question is... How do we get unstuck from the daily loop of rushing through life? How do we allow ourselves and our partners the opportunity to savor moments to connect and love one another more deeply?
Well, if you find yourself stuck in your relationship right now with a crazy routine and disconnected from your partner. First of all, you're not alone, so don't feel bad.
The good news is that you can start today to change that pattern in your relationship. It just takes one small step to create a tremendous result! Start with something simple, like scheduling a weekly date night.
Yes, you've heard that suggestion before, and probably over and over again. So, the question is... Are you listening and practicing the advice of a regular date night? A weekly date night, something so simple, is an effective plan to transform your relationship into a healthy and thriving love. Research supports that date nights significantly increase the love connection for a couple and even the entire family's bond.
The National Marriage Project surveyed over 1,600 married couples (ages 18-55), discovered five critical findings of practicing a regular date night:
Regular Date Nights Help Couples with Five Vital Needs:
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Improved communication
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Improved quality of the relationship
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Improved commitment to one another
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Improved romance
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Improved stress levels
If the five items above excite you, let's get going to change your current relationship pattern today! Here are some easy and affordable ways to make it happen this week.
Five Easy and Affordable Dates:
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Take a Hike – literally spend some time together alone in nature with your loved one. If it's snowing, bundle up and enjoy cocoa when you get home!
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Go to a bookstore or even the library. Select a book you can read together as a couple every night. Be sure to have weekly dates to connect and share your thoughts on the story. Make it fun and meet up at a coffee house or a picnic spot at a local park.
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Take a trip - to the grocery store in an aisle you've never shopped from before. Create a brand new menu filled with food that is new and exciting to you both. Crank up the tunes, start a fire and enjoy cooking together as a couple.
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Go for a drive - and talk all about your couple's bucket list. Write down all the beautiful places, activities and things you want to enjoy together. Then, get started today!
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Surprise Date – each of you take turns, creating a date that is full of surprises from start to finish. Get creative and try new things and go to new places. Shake it up!
Need more date suggestions? Author Jordan Gray has written lots of books with dating ideas. Check them out!
If you need a little help reconnecting and finding your way back to the love and joy in your relationship from when you first met, we are here to help with our Imago Relationship workshops and therapy.
Discover more about Imago with our Imago Professional Membership, Imago Professional Facilitators, Imago Professional Training and Imago Educational Webinars.
