Long-term relationships add a sense of security to life, and there is comfort in knowing that there is someone in your day-to-day life on whom you can rely; however, sometimes the trade-off seems to be a loss of that “can’t-get-enough-of-each-other” heat that the relationship had in the beginning.
There’s no reason that your relationship should lost that initial feeling of lust and excitement just because you have been together for a year.
Here are tried-and-tested tips on how to keep your long-term relationship feeling fresh and hot:
(1) Keep doing new things together.
A couple who plays together, stays together. Go for a hike somewhere you haven’t been yet. Check out a new bar or go to a concert, just the two of you. You don’t have to do anything extreme, but make time to try something new - together.
(2) Have regular date nights.
Sometimes, couples who have been together for a long time forget the fun of going on dates. That’s part of how you got to know each other in the beginning, right? Make time every week or every other week to go on a date: go out to dinner together and throw in a movie afterward. It can add to the romance if you dress up a little bit. (And don’t forget to hold hands and flirt with each other.)
(3) Spice up the routine.
Your days can quickly become routine: wake up, go to class, go to lunch, back to class, eat, study, go home, go to bed, wake up again, go to class - you get the idea. Don’t let your relationship fall into a rut because of the predictability of your day-to-day life. Throw in a twist to keep your relationship going: pack lunch for two and wait for your significant other to get out of class, then take him or her to a secluded spot for an impromptu picnic, or surprise her with some flowers “just because.”
(4) Keep it sexy.
Long-term relationships can fall into “friend mode” if the partners don’t keep that fire alive. Although you may be best friends with your significant other, you also share a relationship with him or her that you don’t with anyone else: the physical relationship that comes with a romantic commitment. Keeping your relationship hot includes keeping that physical attraction going.
Buy some lingerie, have a romantic candlelit dinner at your house (maybe naked?), or play strip poker. And don’t forget of how fun it is to just make out. Keeping it “above the waist” can be just as sexy as, well, going all the way.
(5) Keep laughing.
Don’t forget to get silly together. Inside jokes bring couples closer. You will be the envy of other couples when you walk around giggling at something no one else gets or run by playing “Got you last.” ("That looks so fun.") If you are both happy, your relationship will be happy.
There is no reason that a long-term relationship has to lose that initial spark. Follow these tips - and figure out what works for you - and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can turn your relationship from ho-hum to HOT.
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