Do you need a break from your kiddos? Are you looking for a new activity to help you reconnect with your partner and recharge your relationship that’s beyond the average date night?
While dinner and a movie are always fun, the temptation to pull out your phone can be too easy when you should be present and in the moment with your significant other. So, hide away your devices, hire a babysitter, and try out one or all of these seven activities to re-energize your relationship.
1. Go Birding
Invest in a good pair of binoculars, a bird-watching guide, and head to your local nature preserve to go birding. Make it your partner’s and your mission to see and identify as many new species of birds as possible. Not only is getting outdoors and active a fun way to pass the time, but the act of bird-watching is proven to boost your mental health.
If you enjoy your first birding experience, consider making it a habit. You can also get a backyard feeder to attract various birds to your yard so that you can experience bird-watching all year long.
2. Head to a Museum
A great way to explore each other’s interests is to visit museums. Gaining knowledge and discussing what you learn is a great way to deepen connections and foster relationships. Touring various museums is the perfect way to discover any new interests you or your partner may have too.
Travel to museums in person or visit many virtual museums, like the Van Gogh Museum, The Guggenheim, or the Palace of Versailles. Google Arts & Culture additionally provides several virtual museum tours and helpful resources.
3. Brew Your Own Beer
Are you feeling creative? Try crafting your own beer! If you and your partner are new to the process, there are plenty of beer kits to get you started. Every homemade beer needs four crucial ingredients – fermentable sugar, water, yeast and hops.
As you and your partner get more comfortable making your homebrew, you can experiment with different hops and yeast to impact flavor. If you get ambitious, you can even consider submitting your homebrew to a local competition for review by actual judges. Maybe you can even win a prize.
4. Meditate Together
Meditation is a powerful way to combat stress and prevent anxiety. It’s a fantastic tool to sharpen your focus and improve your ability to be present and aware of your feelings. This is a tremendous practice for any adult and parent to have in their mental toolkit.
The art of meditation also helps you balance spending time with your partner while also having precious alone time – a near-impossible feat for any parent. With meditation, you can be together while being in your headspace. Try practicing meditation with your significant other to enjoy these myriad benefits.
5. Go Hiking
Try going on a hike with your partner. Getting outdoors and into nature is a great way to pass the time and reconnect with a loved one. Hiking is also terrific for one’s heart health, benefitting core strength and overall stability. Scientists emphasize the value to one’s mental health, citing a reduction of stress when one hikes regularly. This is a great physical activity you can do most of the year.
6. Get Into Gardening
Do you or your significant other have a green thumb? Why not give gardening a try! There’s nothing more satisfying than planting a seed, nurturing it, and watching it grow. If you have a backyard, you can utilize the space for your new garden. Get started in early spring and decide which fruits and vegetables you’d like to grow. Go to a local gardening shop to purchase all necessary supplies like seeds, spades, and pots.
If backyard space is an issue, or perhaps it’s the dead of winter, and you’d like to begin your new gardening hobby immediately, try your hand at indoor gardening. Select a room that to dedicate to the pursuit and next purchase your supplies. Some specific growers can be very helpful with indoor gardening, as they provide LED lighting to speed the growing process.
7. Sign Up For an Exercise Class
Exercising is a great way to release mood-boosting endorphins. Called the “runner’s high,” endorphins are a chemical released by your brain that gives you a mind-altering euphoric sensation, often brought on through exercise, sex, or eating. Exercising with others, especially with your romantic partner, will further increase the effectiveness of endorphins. You’ll also discover a deeper bond with your partner and heightened feelings of love through routine exercise.
One of the easiest ways to get active is simply running with your partner, starting at five minutes every other day. But if you’re not interested in running, you could try signing up for a fitness class at your local gym. You could also consider a dance class to get your heart rate elevated. Also, note that many gyms now have virtual courses available if you’d rather spend the night in and exercise from the comfort of your home.
Try Out a New Activity Today
Having children places a strain on any relationship, no matter how strong. It’s essential to take time as a couple to cultivate new interests by exploring different hobbies. Try any of these activities to further the connection with your partner.