Keeping the romance alive is vital for healthy relationships.  Valentine’s Day provides a great opportunity to engage in some much needed together time. Need some creative date ideas for the special day? Here are our picks to consider:

 

 

Rent a cabin in the mountains. 

Think cuddling up by the fire with a hot beverage or sitting in a hot tub stargazing. No distractions, no city noises, no cell phone service to interrupt the quiet solitude.

Drive In Movie

When was the last time you packed up the car and headed somewhere to watch a movie outside? Pack up the back of pick up truck with lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks for a double feature.

 

Reading to Each Other

If you love the sound of your partner’ voice, what better way to spend an evening than reading each other a favorite poem? It’s time to hit the books.

 

Take a Hike

Exploring nature reduces stress and enhances calmness. Walking and being present with the elements releases serotonin and oxytocin, which are the feel-good hormones. The release of these will create a feeling of shared experience and a sense of closeness. 

 

Catch a Train

Spending time on a train is a relaxing way to travel while taking in the sights and sounds of new scenery. The adventure created together allows for an expanded sense of connected curiosity and wonder.

 

Tried an Escape Room?

Partners come together to work on problem solving skills and mutual goals. These puzzles allow for an awareness of the weaknesses and benefits each partner brings to the relationship and helps flush out how to work as a team to reach a desired outcome.

 

Bike Ride

If it’s warm enough where you live, grab a bike and head out the shore. Exercise stimulates a sensation of elevated heart rate which mimics sexual hormones and testosterone. All this physical activity can lead to arousal of healthy tension and excitement.

 

Get Cooking

Making dinner together or taking a cooking class helps couples practice teamwork and express their creativity. A bonus is you get to learn a new skill and eat your creation.

 

Put your Records On

If you have a stack of favorite vinyl from the past, this is a great time to sit around and listen to music that reminds you of another time in life. The impact of experiencing nostalgia can help trigger both dopamine and oxytocin—the bonding hormone and the love hormone.

 

Take a Day Trip

Add a spark to your relationship by changing up the scenery and reminding yourself of all the things you enjoy about your partner’s personality in a fresh setting. Plan a day that encompasses both partner’s interests and passions. Allow yourself to experience those joys through the eyes of your partner.

Go Wine Tasting

One of the points of dating is to build intimacy, trust, and vulnerability with each other. Wine seems to quiet some of the guarded thoughts and behaviors we may typically have in place that keep these emotional connections from developing.

Add whimsy by tasting blind—ask the sommelier to pour you a wine without telling you details—and compete to identify notes.

 

Go Horseback Riding or to a Zoo

Spending time with animals in nature or watching them in their natural habitat is usually not on your regular list of go to date choices.  Imagine a Valentine’s Day of indulging in the natural world with your partner, and the new connections and chemistry created by sharing this experience.

 

Axe Throwing

This on-trend date adventure involves releasing built up nervous date energy by encouraging participants to take turns throwing axes into a target. The endorphins and serotonin levels created from the physical activity, combined with a soothing release, are a perfect combination for relationship building.

 

Whether your relationship is strong or could use some support, you can experience the benefits that therapy can provide.  Schedule a consultation today to learn some new tools to help your relationship, and to get more great date ideas!