3 Ways to Keep the Spark Alive

3 Ways to Keep the Spark Alive

When you get into a long term relationship, you might feel like you lose that initial spark that you once had with each other. It’s a perfectly normal part of being in a relationship and happens to everyone, so if you feel like you no longer have butterflies in your stomach when you see your significant other, don’t take it as a bad omen.

It might come as a surprise – especially if you’re fresh out of the honeymoon phase – but it’s not the end of the world. There are multiple ways you can get the spark back, but you need to work at it. There’s a good chance you can get back to what you used to have with a little bit of awareness and effort between you, but the important thing to remember is that as long as you have trust, loyalty and love, you have the foundations you need to reignite the fire.

If you don’t know where to start, here are three things you can try to get things back on track.

1. Have regular quality time together

One of the main reason couples feel like things become stagnant is because they stop spending quality time together as a couple – especially if children are involved. With this in mind, make sure you’re setting aside enough time every month to do something together, just the two of you.

For couples with children, this could be a bit trickier, but don’t feel guilty about hiring a babysitter for a few hours once a month so that you can go out together and remember what you’re like outside of being parents.

Even for those who don’t have children, it can be hard to find the time to be together as a couple because of work and social commitments, but as stated above, you need to remember what you’re like as a couple.

Quality time could be going to see a film and having dinner, it could be a night away somewhere nice, or it could be a cozy night in with a takeaway (or a fakeaway made at home together). Whatever it is, make sure you set aside time for it and don’t cancel it!

2. Be present and show an interest

Do you remember what it was like when you first met your significant other? You likely asked each other lots of questions and listened intently to the answers. If a few years have passed since that first meeting, you might find yourselves glued to your phones, asking generic, filler questions, and only mumbling or grunting at each other to acknowledge what has just been said.

Snap out of this habit! Put your phone down, ask questions and show that you’re interested – it will go a long way. No one likes to feel like their partner has settled and got comfortable, so make sure you consciously put in the same level of effort throughout.

3. Surprise them every now and then

Communication and words will no doubt play the biggest part in keeping the spark alive, but there’s no harm in spicing things up with a surprise every now and then! It doesn’t have to be anything grand – a bunch of flowers and chocolate or a piece of jewelry you know they’ll love will certainly put a smile on their face.

Small gestures are effective because they show the person you’re with that you’re thinking about them and making them happy, even when they’re not with you.

Summary

This list isn’t the be all and end all of getting the spark back, but these small changes should go a long way to helping you rekindle that initial excitement and appreciation for each other. Do you have any tips for keeping things new and fun? If so, let us know below!

Guest Article.