Flings and one-night stands can be romanticized when it comes to passion in a relationship. After all, you’re going all the way with someone in just a few hours, while long-term relationships have you going the same distance in an exponentially longer timeframe.
Long-term relationships, on the other hand, are seen as tender and stable but without the heat and passion that comes with something short-term. You have to spread out all of that intimacy over a longer time, right? To some people, maintaining passion in a relationship can seem impossible.
That doesn’t have to be the case, though. In fact, long-term relationships could have just as much passion, intimacy, and love as a short-term relationship. You truly love the person you’re with within a long-term relationship, and both of you feel the emotions that come with such a commitment.
Passion and intimacy might look a little different in a long-term relationship, but that does not mean that they’re missing. Here are some tips and tricks to improving the levels of intimacy and love in your long-term relationship.
1. Communicate
Talking regularly with your partner can reveal some things that you might not have known, such as that they are feeling left out of your life or that they believe you’re upset with them and you’re just not telling them.
If you believe that intimacy and love are lacking in your relationship, then they might feel the same way, and sharing that you want to become closer to them could prevent any misconceptions or misunderstandings from persisting longer than they need to. Mind games and playing coy might work in the short term, but honesty is most likely to benefit everyone if you want things to last.
On the brighter side of communication’s results, you might find that you both want to try out something new, which leads to the second tip.
2. Experiment
Sticking to your usual routines can be comforting and provide a sense of calm in an otherwise hectic world, but sometimes the situation calls for something a little out of the ordinary.
As long as both you and your partner are comfortable with it, try out something you’ve never done before. It doesn’t have to be something steamy either; it could be as simple as cooking together if usually only one of you cooks or going out on a hike.
Trying new things out together can make a relationship stronger, as you see sides of the other that you’ve probably never seen before, and isn’t that exciting?
Local farms will offer apple picking in the fall, but some even offer berry picking in the summer, and it’s the prime part of the season to go out and give it a go. No matter how good or bad the berries themselves are, the act of trying something new and spending time together can illuminate new aspects of each other’s personalities.
3. Be Spontaneous
While it’s typically a good thing to ask your partner for their opinion, that doesn’t mean you can’t do things on the fly. If you see something that you want to try, then just ask them. If you want to go out for dinner together, then ask. You don’t have to stick to your usual schedule and only deviate from it when life says that you have no other options.
Doing the same things at the same times can be boring and could make you think that your relationship has gone stagnant when, really, you just might need a change of pace.
If these tips don’t answer what you want to be answered or if they don’t work for you, then BetterHelp offers a list of questions about intimacy that their qualified team has offered to try to help people like you. Couples counseling or reading up on ways to improve a relationship show a dedication to the other person.
Long-term doesn’t have to mean a lack of intimacy, so fall in love with your partner all over again.
