Thriving marriages use habits, rituals and traditions to avoid taking each other for granted.
Bonding rituals strengthen your marriage connection.
In those early red-hot days of love and romance, it was easy to focus on the happiness and well-being of your beloved. Your connection was intense, the sharing and intimacy warm and glowing, your sexual desire alive and vibrant.
But now?
How much focused attention do you and your husband give each other outside the bedroom?
When your refrain is more often, “Who has time?” rather than “Let’s make time,” it’s time to make small, seemingly mundane moments into pivotal moments to show your beloved that you are in tune with his world.
Now’s the time to put intentional energy into making time every day strengthen your connection.
If you want to enhance your connection, intimacy and sexual desire, consider creating and practicing some of these simple, easy bonding rituals.
Here are five bonding rituals you can use or tweak to deepen your connection with your husband:
Reunion Ritual:
- When you return from work at the end of the day, take time to hug deeply. For at least 20 seconds. It’s the fastest way to circulate oxytocin throughout your body.
- This “love drug” calms your nervous system and boosts positive emotions.
- By lowering blood pressure and reducing stress hormones like cortisol, you may feel less anxious, sleep more soundly and increase your sense of connection.
Five-Minute Focused Conversation Ritual:
- Set aside 5 minutes each day to put down your phone and engage in focused communication.
- Instead of asking the the question “How was your day?” try leading with the question, “What was the high point of your day?”
Appreciation Ritual:
- Our brains are wired to focus first on negatives and dangers. It’s all too easy to focus on his petty failings.
- Disrupt that tendency by giving thanks and appreciation for the little things. This matters and builds good will.
- It’s an easy hack to combine this one with the Focused Conversation Ritual.
- Think of something helpful or thoughtful your partner does.
- Thank him for it.
Mini-Vacay Ritual:
- Plan an activity you like to do together. Turn it into a mini-vacation.
- Create a pivotal moment out of a small moment just by deciding to make it so!
- Yes, just making the declaration that this particular activity qualifies as a mini-vacay up-levels your appreciation of the time you spend together.
- Spend a few hours with the mind-set that this experience is as refreshing as a more extensive vacation.
“Just Us” Rituals:
- Make a list of all the fun things that you two want to do for expressed purpose of spending time together. Just the two of you.
- With all the extended family obligations and commitments step family life requires, finding alone time is not always easy.
- Take time once a month to review your list. Add to it. Check off activities completed. Recall the fun times.
- Whether it’s a simple as holding hands while watching your favorite TV program or listening to a an audio book, driving into the country with the top down and the wind in your hair, or buying a season’s subscription to the symphony or theater.
- The important thing to do is plan and decide.
- Turn these activities into mini-vacay opportunities
What relationship strengthening bonding rituals would work best for your relationship? Which one do you want to try?
Grab your FREE strategy session with me and let’s begin to figure it out.
I’ve got you!
