7 Date Ideas for a Healthy Relationship

There’s a good reason why a person’s other half is referred to as their “back bone.” Through the support of your beloved, you find the strength, confidence and motivation to go after your dreams and achieve your goals. Yet, no one’s relationship is perfect (despite what their Facebook posts would lead you to believe). Maintaining a healthy relationship that replenishes your depleted reserves after a long, stressful week requires meaningful moments spent together. Sometimes, you need to get creative and push your comfort zone for your date nights, especially if you have a family of more than two. To fortify your bond, it helps to remember these 7 date ideas for a healthy relationship:

1. Learn something new. Take a class together, such as cooking, public speaking or emerging technologies. You can also attend a workshop, seminar or conference. It doesn’t have to be a course or series of workshops, just as long as it ignites conversation and an exchange of ideas.

2. Become the teacher and the student. Feelings of kindness and empathy are strengthened when you help a person, so take turns teaching your partner a new skill and opening your mind to learning about a subject that excites your partner.

3. Sweat with your sweetheart. Burn off stress and calories with your partner by your side. Endorphins are released when you work out, so it’s a great idea to subconsciously pair your spouse with that burst of feel-good chemicals.

4. Listen to the sounds of love. A study has shown live music boosts your sense of happiness and well-being, so buy tickets to a concert and rock happily alongside of your loved one.

5. Add a twist to the same old date. If you have a favorite restaurant or a special place where you sit to reconnect, switch it up a little. For example, go somewhere entirely different for your appetizers or have a romantic picnic and then caste a pole while you sit by the lake to talk.

6. Staying in isn’t taboo. There are plenty of relationship advice articles that will warn against staying at home for your weekly or bi-monthly date night. Not true! You can laugh the night away by serving different cheeses and accoutrements during a fun, blind taste testing session and play “guess that movie” or “guess that 80s song” by reciting lines or lyrics. Just make it entertaining!

7. Make it a double, triple or quadruple date. If your date nights are typically just you and your love, go with other couples for a change in the date’s dynamic. There’s something appealing and endearing in seeing your spouse make others laugh and smile, which increases the level of attraction between you both.

A dysfunctional relationship, in which communication has broken down and resentment is festering, will not support you in achieving your life goals. The deepest, most damaging type of loneliness is the one felt when someone is by your side but the love is gone. Do not waste your energy on negative emotions. Instead, build and repair your relationship with love-filled, happy moments that are created by you and your partner spending quality time together. Date nights are one of the key secrets to a healthy, supportive relationship.

Have a favorite date night idea?  Share below!

Yours for More Confidence, More Often,

Kristyn Haster