25 Ways To Really Show Up In Your Relationship For Lasting Love

If you've started to notice signs that you're checked out of your relationship, whether you're feeling bored by your partner or just yearning for the intense connection you felt a few months ago, there are a ton of things you can do to get the relationship back on track:

There are many ways to describe the practice of cataloging one's thoughts to improve a relationship. To love yourself is to know yourself, which means you've got to study. Create a personal textbook of your interior life by hitting down what was on your mind each day. You don't have to share with your partner, and, in fact, you probably shouldn't. You're just using the journal to regulate your own thoughts and reflect on your habits.

Meditation takes many forms, and the specifics of your preferred style aren't so important. Essentially, you just want to practice being in a space with your own thoughts so you can develop your single-tasking skills. By meditating for even a few minutes per day without screens or external stimuli, you'll start to realize what's getting in the way of you connecting with your partner.

As you relax into a romantic partnership, you may find yourself initiating comforting activities instead of finding new pastimes that stimulate. It makes sense; our daily lives are so full of stress that we often find ourselves relying on our partners for decompression rather than further excitement. But it's tough to stay excited about a person who's come to represent relief in your mind. Chip away at this "settling" sensation by taking a class with your partner or by taking on a project together. It can be as simple as buying a jigsaw puzzle for the coffee table or signing up for a 10-week French cooking course.

By engaging in a new activity that challenges you physically and intellectually, you're linking thoughts about your partner to ideas like growth, self-improvement, and stimulation. By working on yourselves together, the two of you will learn how your individual strengths and weaknesses match up. This will deepen your understanding of your compatibility and work as real-world evidence that you guys can function as a team.

Cut down on your screen time little by little, and you'll discover all kinds of new things about your relationship. It's crazy how we experience others' company when we're not half-listening to them1, walking around on dates with one foot planted firmly on Twitter or in text conversations with someone else.

Once you've limited your phone usage, try to be mindful about sending and receiving text messages with your partner when you're apart. Although obsessive screen usage is a sign of unhealthy behavior patterns, texting positive messages back and forth every day can significantly improve your relationship satisfaction2. And we don't mean "what do you want for dinner?" by the way; try to dream up some new compliments or ask earnest questions about how something at work went. You'll have more material because you were actively listening!

Most people want to have more sex than they're having, but they've begun to rest on their laurels. Remember: Once you're a year into a relationship, you're probably very familiar with your partner's seduction repertoire, which means they know your toolbox by heart, too. Change things up a bit, but don't worry; you don't necessarily have to introduce new props or act kinkier than you are.

If you typically let your partner know you'd like to be intimate by, say, cuddling with them in bed as you watch Netflix when you're settling down for bed, try out initiating sex at a different time of night (or day, gasp!). See how your partner responds if you start nudging a conversation toward sex in a subtle way as you're doing chores, cooking together, or even out in the world. 

Practice building anticipation, shifting gears up and down throughout the day, or even enjoying foreplay without rushing straight into more intense acts. What you want to do is break up the routine. This will keep your partner curious about the possibilities, and it will increase your own capacity for arousal.

When we find another person attractive, we often give ourselves away by improving our grooming habits. You develop a crush, and suddenly, you might feel a compulsion to buy new clothing or style your hair differently. As with many aspects of a long-term relationship, most of us need to push ourselves to maintain this kind of optimistic, driven self-management.

One tried-and-true way to show up in a relationship is to treat it like it's new. If you and your partner are going out together, put that solid hour into getting ready—you remember, the one you used to spend primping before a date? Yeah, that kind of self-expression should still be in play, no matter how long you two have been together.

Of course, most of us share our lives with a collection of loved ones, including friends of any gender, but our romantic partners do tend to take precedence above everyone else. It's not a question of shoving others out of your life; you're just trying to prioritize your partner when you dole out your (limited) daily attention to the people who care about you. When you have even a mild confession, whether it's a hot take about a popular movie or an embarrassing teenage memory, try it out on your partner before getting too deep in intimate conversations with someone else.

Sometimes, staying present in a relationship is as simple as generating new conversation fodder. Yes, you can do this by passively watching TV together after work, but eventually, that will start to feel like a predictable routine. Try taking in art in a form the two of you don't typically seek out. If you went to a lot of punk concerts when you guys were first dating, you can search for underground bands playing at your old haunts. (If you want to play it real fast and loose, you can always switch up the genres). Ask your partner if they're down to try a jazz club with you sometimes, or go see an orchestra. If you're all set with music, seek out tickets to see a play, go to an art museum, or buy a multiplayer video game and try to figure it out together. No matter the medium, art has a stimulating effect on audiences. And that's your goal when you enliven a relationship: stimulating yourselves simultaneously.

If you don't have a ton of time or resources for artsy dates, you can always start a two-person book club and read through a new novel at the same time. If that's too involved, suggest that the two of you make each other a playlist and swap them. You'll find that your internal life widens in scope as you find new ways to incorporate your partner's tastes.

It's really hard to show up in a relationship if you're constantly getting gobsmacked with demands for your attention. If you want your partner to feel excited about you, you're going to have to set time aside to, well, be more exciting. Figure out which night next week is best for a date, and then take the initiative on picking something to do. Remember, as always, the early days of going out with a new person, back when you couldn't just ask which of your 10 regular restaurants your partner felt like visiting. Pick a spot to get a drink first, pick a dinner spot, and decide on a low-key activity. Even if you guys get sidetracked, the fact that you invested the time in an evening together will solidify the experience in your mind.

As you try to date your partner mindfully, try not to get too bogged down in how you experience the experience. Yes, it's important to clock yourself and analyze how your emotions ebb and flow, but you also want to actively support your partner. Too many of us try to meet our partners' needs by anticipating them, but that's skipping a step. You still need to ask them what's up.

When was the last time you initiated a conversation with your partner by asking an open-ended question? Asking about meta, heady topics will keep the conversation alive. When you and your partner get too in the weeds, you forget the bigger picture. 

And when you ask them how their day went, or what they'd like to do later, or how they're feeling, how often do you listen to their answer and then ask a second question informed by what they just said? Actively listening is a skill, which means it takes practice just like anything else. It's a proven psychological trick that we feel important and supported when others ask us questions, so try to foster that sensation for your partner and "interview" them for a bit. You'll be surprised where the conversation goes.

If you and your partner are privileged enough to have work-from-home days, or, better, paid personal time off, schedule a long weekend together and play hooky. Or, hell, pick a random Wednesday and sleep in for a few hours. You'll find that the world feels larger and more full of possibility when you've suddenly got nothing to do on a random weekday, and the novelty can do wonders for your relationship. See a matinee or pick a nearby town to explore. Go to the grocery store and pick up ingredients to make something you've never tried to make. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you do it together while enjoying the precious hours away from the grindstone.

You can actively train your mind to frame observations about your partner in gratitude by setting yourself a reminder to do so. And don't worry; you don't have to annoy your partner by thanking them for a random act of love every single day. You reap the same benefits by just letting the gratitude occur to you privately.

Often, feelings of anxiety arise inside us when we've allowed another person to cross one of our unspoken boundaries. If you're not comfortable saying no to those you love, you may find yourself in situations where you feel irritated and obligated to act a certain way. Let's say, for instance, that your partner invites you to Sunday brunch with their friends, but you're having a rough workweek, and you know you're not going to be in the mood on a Sunday morning. A person with healthy boundaries will know to say, "That's all right, babe; I'm going to sit this one out and chill, but I can meet you afterward." A person with loose boundaries might say, "Definitely, I'll be there," and then they'll feel trapped the whole brunch and probably end up saying something they'll regret. Practice giving your partner a simple no on a low-stakes request. Pro tip: A no always goes down easier if you provide a fun alternative that doesn't stretch your boundaries.

If any part of you is still giving out emotional breadcrumbs to other romantic options, now is the time to let those connections fade away. You don't have to get super dramatic about it and stage a breakup; just be honest with yourself about your intentions and make a brave choice. If you're still holding on to the possibility of hooking up with those attractive Plan B folks waiting in the wings, do your current partner a favor and cut them off. Quit faving the cute selfies, unsubscribe from the Instagram stories, and stop being a Reply Guy. You've only got so much gas in your tank, and if you're depleting your supply by spreading it around, your current partner is going to feel the lack of attention in time.

This one is literally about showing up. Some people are more prompt than others, and that's OK, but there's a difference between being a "late" person—and someone who disregards other's time for their own. That can feel very frustrating and demoralizing if you are the other partner in the relationship—if done repeatedly, it can feel as though the partner doesn't want to be there in the first place. Don't make your partner feel like this—be on time. 

When you go out on the town with another couple, or even two or three other couples, you and your partner naturally spot differences between everyone's unique relationships. If your coupled-up friends are nitpicky with each other, that's something you and your partner can discuss later. "We'd never act like that," you can say to each other. Regardless of whether or not it's true, feeling slightly superior to other folks can bond the two of you together. And, hey, if you're on a double date with a couple who seems genuinely happy, try to note some of their positive habits and make them your own.

Remember when you and your partner first started dating, and the very act of kissing felt brand-new again? When we're just starting to play around with a new person, we rediscover the myriad kinds of kisses, and they can all feel inexplicably amazing. That's because kissing allows us to connect with our partner on a deep, chemical level. If you and your partner have dropped down from steamy make-outs to the twice daily "see you later" peck, now's the time to remind yourselves how much fun kissing is. Move in for a kiss when you usually wouldn't, or take a second to kiss your partner somewhere you haven't kissed them before. Next time you do kiss, give it a second or two longer than usual, and see where things go. It can seem almost too simple, but sometimes the difference between a stale relationship and a fun one is learning how to talk about something and then simply "make out about it."

If you and your partner are searching for offbeat date ideas, consider trying something that spooks you both. Ride a roller coaster, go see the new horror movie, or take a tour of the tallest skyscraper in your city if one of you (or both!) are afraid of heights. A 2011 study found that our brains pump out dopamine in response to frightening or thrilling stimuli, and this chemical rush can increase sensations of connection with whoever is around us. It's not just a matter of getting your partner to hide their face in your shoulder; the two of you will feel deeply bonded after you "survive" something scary together, and that's just the effect you're going for.

Just keep in mind that the feeling of settling into your partnership isn't inherently a bad thing. Ideally, the two of you will find a balance between calming each other down and turning each other on. The former happens naturally with time, but the latter can sometimes require a jump-start. These are simply a few ways you can boost feelings of romance in your relationship by simply showing up.