If youâve been isolating with your partner, you may be feeling like âmore intimacyâ is the last thing you need. But being together pretty much all the time isnât the same thing as being intimate. And it turns out, when our normal boundaries get blurred, our emotional intimacy can take a hit. So if youâve been within 600 feet of your partner all day for the last few months, itâs understandable if itâs affecting your romance. And if you want to work on making your bond stronger, these strategies can help.
- Go back to basics- Start with scheduling a date night. It may sound cheesy, but setting aside some âspecialâ couple time gives you a chance to bond and helps restore some of the boundaries that may be blurred while quarantining together. Plus, itâs nice to get dressed up and plan an evening for each other again after being cooped up.
- Try something totally new- Branch out from your usual dinner and a movie thing to keep things fresh. Marriage and family therapist Rachel Sussman says, âNovelty is like Viagra for a relationship,â so itâs worth a shot. Lots of couples are signing up for virtual activities, like a MasterClass, online cooking class, or workout challenge together.
- Study up- A new program in the relationship self-help space,Rise, is designed to help couples âdevelop relational intelligence.â Every week it emails you a guided conversation to have with your partner, with questions like âIs there anything in your relationship youâve been defensive about or avoiding?â The idea is to get you talking about any sources of tension and deepen your bond.
- Think about your greatest hits- Relationship coach Channa Bromley says, âReminiscing is a positive tool that can keep intimacy at high levels.â Not sure where to start? Try replicating your first date or first vacation with a meal, creating a playlist of songs that are meaningful to you, and sharing your favorite sexy memories.
Source:Refinery 29