It Only Takes a Moment to Make Someone Feel Special

Finding quick ways to stay connected with your spouse or significant others can make difficult times, less strained, and great times even more dynamic. Small emotional connections can keep a relationship from getting stuck in a rut. Whether you’ve been married for 35 years or dating for 35 days, here are some simple ideas that will make the time you invest together reap dividends for years to come.

• Do something unexpected for your partner

• Place a love note in a purse or pocket

• Send a funny or romantic card by snail mail or e-mail

• Learn how to give a great massage

• Snuggle on the couch

• Hold hands

• Make eye contact when you talk

• Leave a kind voice mail

• Text a nice note

• Cook a romantic dinner

• Take a moment to look at the stars

• Ask questions about each other’s day

• Listen completely to each other (put the phone down)

• Smile at each other

• Start a load of laundry

• Fold a basket of clothes

• Post photos on the bathroom mirror of photos from memories you’ve shared together

• Write a love note on the bathroom mirror

• Write a love note on the sidewalk next to the car

• Watch the sun rise or set together

• Take a walk together

• Discover a new hobby together

• Say “Thank You”

• Say “Your Welcome”

• Take time to talk before bedtime

• Bring “Take Out” home from your favorite restaurant

• Have a wine tasting at home

• Give your spouse a small token they can carry each day to think of you

• Learn to say “I love you in a foreign language.”

Use these tips for the next 30 days, and see if you can tell a difference in how you feel about your relationship. Experts say, it not the grand gestures that make relationships thrive, but rather consistently doing little things on a daily basis that build relational satisfaction.