Contributed by Tanya S.

Keeping passion alive (2)Being appreciated for who you are and what you do, helps to make you feel more confident and loved.  Without appreciation, I start to feel like I am being taken advantage of.  Eventually, I get a “why bother” attitude and stop putting in effort.  In a relationship, this is a trap.  I know in all my relationships I have formed habits and got into a grove that sometimes turns into a rut.  In order to avoid this rut, I have developed some healthy habits that include showing my appreciation and strengthening our bond.

Touch.  I do not mean sexual touching, which is a lot of fun; I mean gentle touching throughout the day.  A gentle rubbing of the back, a squeeze of the arm, a quick peck on the check.  All of this helps my partner and I feel more connected.

Compliments. Imagine hearing how fabulous you look from strangers but your own partner never compliments you.  How would you feel?  When this happened in the past, I didn’t feel appreciated and, as much as I hate to admit it but this type of behavior makes me feel as if I am not appreciated. Eventually the sexiness I felt at the beginning goes away. Now I make sure I compliment my partners not just for their looks, but for their accomplishments as well.  As long as it’s genuine, compliments never get old.

Review why I love you. Since we see our partners so often, we get used to them, even forgetting why exactly we chose them and not the other guy around the corner. So I started to remind myself regularly why exactly I love my partner.  It is not something you have to necessarily say to your partner; you can just go over it with yourself and help you fall in love again.

Laugh. Do some fun activities together such baking bread or cookies, or playing games. Tell jokes and make each other laugh.  Laughing makes me feel happy and connected to my partner.

What loving habits keeps the passion alive in your relationship?  We invite you to comment in the box below.