Most of us have a preconceived idea about how our partner should be.
We believe that we will meet a person who will fit into this mold like a jigsaw puzzle. And our lives will be happily ever after.
Have you ever met a couple like this? That is a rhetorical question as the answer is an obvious “No”. People are not like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Our outlines are ever-changing and it continues to develop throughout our lives.
The simple truth is that you are never going to find a person who will conform exactly to your requirements and conditions. People usually choose partners who are the best fit.
This means you and your partner may have areas of disagreements and conflicts. So, can you manage a healthy relationship with such a partner?
The answer is simple. Any relationship needs continuous nurturing to improve the ties between partners. This is the only chance to strengthen a relationship.
This article offers you suggestions on how to work on your relationship and make it stronger. You will find here 8 relationship strengthening couples’ activities.
1. Get to know each other
You may think that after spending so much time together, you know your partner well. This is a myth. It is virtually impossible to understand a person fully even after spending a lifetime with them. This means the process of getting to know each other is an ongoing activity throughout your relationship.
The simplest way to do this is to have frank and honest conversations. If you are clueless about how to go about this on your own, you can take the help of questionnaires designed specifically for this purpose.
You can download this worksheet of 60 writing prompts for couples and get to know each other better!
2. Get out of your comfort zone
It can be an adventure sport or anything you would not try of your own volition. As long as you are doing what you know and are comfortable doing, you are not going to reveal your true self, your insecurities, and your vulnerabilities. The same applies to your partner as well. Getting out of your comfort zone is what you want.
When you attempt something you are unsure of and feel uncomfortable, you tend to rely more on each other to get through the experience. And, naturally, this will help in overcoming relationship problems and bringing you closer.
Whether you benefit from this activity or not, you sure will have some fun time together. For all you know, you may end up loving this new adventure.
3. Spring-clean your home
Or redesign it or give it a makeover. Work together to make your home a better place to live. This may seem like a chore or boring stuff. But the significance of building a home together is not lost on the relationship.
Much care should be taken to include the ideas for improvement from both partners. Or else, what you began as a positive exercise will end up causing more damage. The planning stage is also a good bonding time and for working through relationship problems.
4. Exercise together
This is a wonderful activity for couples to do together. And, its benefits are numerous. It works well to build a happy relationship as well as progress on your individual goals.
While some people can find the motivation to work out by themselves, most seek external inspiration to finish the task daily. By working out together, you can support and motivate each other to attempt things you would not try otherwise and stick to your exercise regimen.
As a partner, you can also give invaluable inputs and keep a watch over the diet.
You may also want to try these sensual exercises for couples. You can do them in the comfort of your own home. They’re fun and easy, and they’ll help you reconnect with each other!
5. Read together
You may not have tried this before but experts consider this to be beneficial to strengthening the bond between couples.
When you take up this activity you may have to try a genre you have never read before. Take it up as a challenge and an adventure. You may even end up liking it, opening up a whole new world of books for you to explore.
This is the opportunity for you to get to know the likes and dislikes of your partner. You can discuss what you read and this will give you rare insights into the mind of your partner.
6. Try the question jar
You can make this a fun activity at the same time insightful and revealing. Allow your imagination to run wild. Think up of questions you want your partner answered. Maybe you asked them before but did not get a response. Set the ground rules that both of you should answer the questions honestly.
Write the questions on paper slips, fold them up, and put them in a jar. A mason jar will do fine or anything similar. Take turns to pick a question and answer them. Be a good sport and play along. Ultimately, this will help you bond better with your partner.
7. Volunteer together
Helping others selflessly is already a stress-buster and a perfect activity to enhance your positive thinking abilities. You can get more out of it by making it a couples’ activity.
You can either choose a common cause that both partners already believe in or pick a totally new one that agrees with your values. Your experience is bound to be different in these two scenarios but both would be beneficial to your relationship as well as to both as individuals.
Turning your focus away from you and your relationship struggle and towards a worthy cause close to your heart can only help.
8. Travel together
You have lots of choices here. It can be a weekend getaway or a trekking expedition or a weeklong cruise or skiing the Swiss alps or a trip to Paris. You can choose where you want to go based on your time availability, budget constraints, and other limitations you may have. It doesn’t matter which one you choose as long as both partners are enjoying being together.
Nothing can revitalize a romantic relationship like travel can. The more you travel, the better the bonding and the healthier the relationship. You can travel to the same place repeatedly if that is what makes both of you comfortable. Or, you can explore new lands and experiences every time.
Some more couples’ activities to improve your relationship
- Spend a quiet evening at home doing something agreeable to both or doing nothing at all
- Go on date nights as often as possible
- Cook dinner together
- Join a cooking class together
- Schedule time for heart-to-heart talks
- Grow a garden together
- Pray together
- Get season tickets to matches, shows, music concerts, or cinemas
- Spend time with common friends or entertain together
- Take a trip down the memory lane
You can find more couples’ activities if you continue your search for the same. The idea is to find the ones that work for you and your partner. You can even make a shortlist of 10-12 of them and focus on one each for a month.
Believing that you don’t need to put in the effort to nurture your relationship is foolish. No intimate relationship can survive the ravages of everyday life. If you are struggling in a relationship, choosing couples’ activities is a no-brainer.
Couples’ therapy exercises can help repair the damage caused to the relationship inadvertently as well as bring you closer.