8 Tips for Recapturing the Honeymoon Phase in Your Marriage

The honeymoon phase is a sweet time when a relationship has no pressing problems. It eventually ends because life challenges every couple, but you and your partner can learn how to recapture the honeymoon phase together. Use these tips to return to the days of romance that make your heart flutter with happiness.

1. Schedule Time for Your Partner

Searching your calendars to find time for each other might not sound romantic, but it’s a practical solution for couples who don’t spend much time together. As you experience life together, outside commitments take up the time you spent on each other during your original honeymoon phase.

Find time slots of any length in your schedules and commit to focusing on just each other during those periods. The arrangement can also remain flexible if your schedules are unpredictable. You’ll create essential private time if you commit to more time together each week and follow through on your arrangements.

2. Talk About Talking

Consider how you and your partner communicate as individuals. Ask them how they best understand what you’re saying and vice versa. If you dive into the various ways you individually communicate with others, you’ll better understand how to get information across in the way your partner best receives a conversation.

You could also start by discussing which of the four types of communication styles is most accurate to your current dynamic. See if you mostly communicate in one of these ways:

• Passive-aggressive
• Aggressive
• Passive
• Assertive

Define why you think one or two methods are most prevalent in your relationship. Breaking these down together makes your current communication challenges clear so you know what to change.

3. Daydream About Your Future

The honeymoon period always features daydreaming because it feels like your life together is just beginning. Couples stop daydreaming when their life becomes more practical. You might get stuck into different work routines or personal commitments that require your full attention.

Daydream with your partner about your next milestones. Do you plan to buy a home, expand your family or achieve something together? Set small, short-term milestones if you don’t know what your future holds. Whether you decide to schedule a cozy picnic with chicken club love boats you can both try for the first time or tickets to a musical neither of you have seen, you’ll have something to look forward to like an initial honeymoon period.

4. Improve Your Intimacy Without Expectations

Physical intimacy may become a thing of the past for couples who feel emotionally distanced from each other. If this aspect of your relationship needs work, find sex therapy resources to rebuild your physical and emotional intimacy. Sex therapists publish podcasts, write books and host virtual conferences. Those resources might fight your lives more easily and give you the tools to rebuild your honeymoon phase.

Remember to start this venture without expectations like getting back to the sex life you used to have. You’ll feel free to redefine what intimacy means for your current relationship and have more fun.

5. Generate More Dopamine Together

Dopamine is a hormone the brain produces to create enjoyment during an activity you find rewarding, exciting or fun. Activating your dopamine levels together makes bonding easier. Try doing this by finding something you’ll both enjoy doing together.

You could try power yoga classes to build your muscles and have fun in a new experience. You and your partner might get excited about taking a pottery class, joining a hiking club or putting puzzles together. No matter what you find fun, feeling the same dopamine-induced happiness instantly strengthens your bond even if you’re not actively discussing your relationship.

6. Show Your Love Without a Reason

Surprise showcases of love demonstrate that your partner is on your mind. This is incredibly valuable for partners who feel unseen or unappreciated. If you want to know how to recapture the honeymoon phase with a partner who feels this way, plan ongoing ways to show how you love them outside of Valentine’s Day.

The key is demonstrating your love in the way your partner will best receive it. It could mean writing special notes about why you adore them and hiding the notes where they’ll be a pleasant surprise, like in your partner’s lunchbox or makeup drawer. You could do the dishes while your partner’s in a work meeting if you both work remotely and they feel like they’re always picking up chores around the house.

It’s easier to find the best way to love on your partner once you’ve had conversations about what isn’t working in your relationship. Note whichever issues are preventing your honeymoon phase from returning and flip them around so your partner sees how much you care.

7. Consider Attending Couples Counseling

Sometimes, the honeymoon phase disappears after couples experience traumatic events. If you’ve both lived through painful situations like a miscarriage during a wanted pregnancy or deaths in the family, counseling could be the most helpful thing you can do to recapture the honeymoon phase.

The underlying issue in your relationship could be how you’re privately handling your own grief or processing trauma. Learning how to process those parts of yourself within the space of your relationship could help you avoid working on surface-level issues while expecting the root of your relationship to improve.

Don’t rule out online therapy if you start looking into relationship therapists. It’s helpful because it’s often more affordable than in-person clinic appointments and easier to fit into a busy schedule. As long as you work with a licensed therapist and contribute equally with your partner to each session, you’ll quickly see progress as you heal together.

8. Schedule Check-In Meetings

Many workplaces make management teams meet individually with team members. Those check-in or stand-up meetings occur every so often to see if you’re on track with your professional goals.

Consider using the same strategy with your partner, just during a dinner date or while relaxing on a candlelit screened-in porch. You can reflect on what you’ve both been trying to get your honeymoon phase back and provide feedback. If one partner doesn’t feel like something’s working, the conversation is a chance to adjust your efforts. You’ll improve your communication skills and make relational progress more quickly.

Recapture the Honeymoon Phase With Your Partner

Anyone can learn how to recapture the honeymoon phase. Discuss these strategies with your partner to see where you both want to start. You could give new life to your relationship and find the spark you’ve both missed for so long.