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Five things experts say happy couples regularly do together

Making room for quality time with your significant other is important

A getaway creates positive vibes and memories can strengthen your relationship
A getaway creates positive vibes and memories can strengthen your relationship
Image: 123RF/Milkos

While you may lead a busy life, it can be hard to make room for some quality time for your significant other, even though it is something as simple as sharing a meal or as extravagant a week-long vacation.

Although you do spend quite a lot of time with your partner, you might have wondered how much of that time is actually spent doing things together. 

According to licensed marriage and family therapist Jenni Skyler, spending time together creates “a teamwork structure” that serves as the foundation of your relationship. 

“Teamwork is an essential ingredient for the sustainability of long-term relationships, allowing partners to cultivate shared relationship goals and create a meaningful, shared life,” Skyler advises.

Want to give your relationship the structure it needs? Here are five ways to spend meaningful time with your partner:

Celebrate the little things

As anniversaries and birthdays come once a year, you don’t need to wait for something “celebratory” to happen in order to celebrate your relationship or marriage.

Psychologist and co-founder of Positive Life Answers Mary Ann Mercer advises the importance of marking your calendar to celebrate events such as your first date, the date you got engaged and your wedding, but it is also worth celebrating little moments, such as a promotion or the achievement of a personal goal.

Going to bed at the same time increases the possibility of having sex
Going to bed at the same time increases the possibility of having sex
Image: 123RF

Eat meals together

Even though you and your partner might lead busy lives, it may be unrealistic to have every meal together, however, depending on your respective schedules, it’s essential to make an effort to sit down for breakfast, lunch or dinner with each other.

“Breaking bread at the end of the day allows for couples to sink into the sacred container of their relationship and reconnect after a long day away from one another,” Dr. Skyler alludes to regaining a solid structure for your relationship. “Sharing a meal means sharing the pleasure of food and hopefully meaningful conversation for emotional connection, pleasure of food, and hopefully meaningful conversation for emotional connection.”

Cuddle daily

If you can’t seem to fit in time to cuddle just before bed, you can try to sneak it in between other times of the day.

Dr Skyler advises that “the shared skin time releases oxytocin, which helps bond two people. Cuddling also fosters affectionate intimacy so that couples have ways to connect skin-to-skin.”

Go to bed together at the same time

‘Shared skin time’ releases oxytocin, which helps with bonding of two people
‘Shared skin time’ releases oxytocin, which helps with bonding of two people
Image: 123RF

Although it may not always seem possible to go to bed at the same time as your partner, it’s important to make the effort to do so as often as possible. “One partner may stay up longer reading, however, the act of getting into bed together symbolises how special and unique their union is,” says Dr. Skyler. “Plus, getting into bed together increases the possibility of having sex, or at least cuddling before dozing off.”

Get away together

Change of scenery is always good for your relationship. If you are able to getaway whether it’s for one night, over the weekend or a week-long vacation, creating positive vibes and memories can strengthen your relationship or marriage – this is according to Dr Mercer who also says, “It snaps you out of your daily routine and gives your relationship the refresh it could use.”

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