Getting bored is a natural occurrence in most long-term relationships at some point or another. It doesn’t necessarily mean that anything’s wrong, you may just need to shake things up a bit. There are lots of ways to break through the boredom—here are a few suggestions.
- Talk about it. What’s the worst that can happen if you bring up how you’re feeling? Your partner’s feelings may be hurt initially, but there’s also a good chance they’re feeling the same way. Talking about how you feel can bring on new ideas and solutions. You can acknowledge what’s going on. Sometimes just speaking up starts to make a situation better.
- Find a TV show to watch together. Get excited about a shared show! You can chat about it when you aren’t watching it and share your enthusiasm when you’re getting ready to. Maybe break free from an old show that you two have on loop and instead watch one that’s new to both of you. Plus, you can get your snuggle on!
- Meditate. This may seem random but meditation has great benefits. One of those benefits being that it brings you to the present moment. You can do it on your own or do it together. This is something that you could give a test run for about a month and see how you feel. It’s powerful to sit in silence with another person, both just being with themselves while also with each other.
- Go on a trip. It’s easy to feel excited when you’re traveling somewhere you’re looking forward to exploring. It could be a tropical place or some cool city—wherever you choose, it’ll get you out of your normal routine and it may get you excited about your partner again. You could be reminded of that thing you love about them while you’re traveling.
- Have obligatory date nights. Date nights are crucial to keeping the flame lit in your relationship. You should be having regular times where just you two go out and you do something fun. It could be as simple as dinner, because who doesn’t love food? You should protect these nights like they’re super important (because they are). Don’t work too late or make plans with friends—date night is your priority.
- Spice up your activities. The things you do together are composed of going to the movies, to dinner, and occasionally having double dates. It’s gotten monotonous. What about if you introduced a new activity into your rotation? Try taking a cooking class, act like a tourist in your hometown, or create something artistic together. Trying something new might shake up feelings between you two.
- Try making a bucket list together. Make a couple’s bucket list of things you want to do together. They could range from doable today to stretch goal for months out. You can put something like visiting a new park or visiting a new country. This is a way to get both of you excited about something and brainstorming together about what you both like. It could really spark something great.
- Encourage each other to have hobbies. One way to stay happy together is by being happy apart. You should both have hobbies outside of the relationship that bring you joy and help you feel inspired. Maybe you both like to do different sports. You can join a soccer league and your partner can join a hockey league. Or, maybe one of you loves to paint and another loves to hike. Whatever it is, get out and do it.
- Try a new sex position. I know, sex with the same person after a while can get monotonous. Why not try a new sex position you’ve never done before? Get outside both of your comfort zones and you may just find that it’s something you enjoy. If not, you might get a laugh out of it. I mean, have you seen some of the ridiculous position suggestions out there?
- Go to couple’s therapy. This isn’t the most popular option and many people groan at the idea of going to couple’s therapy. It can be a really good one, though, especially if you’re not just bored but you’re also in trouble. Therapists can help you identify what’s lacking in your relationship as well as remind you what’s good about it. It can be a really fruitful idea despite being difficult.
