The longer you’re together, the closer you and your partner are likely to become purely based on shared experience. However, there are things you can actively do with your guy to strengthen and deepen your bond and increase your intimacy more than you ever thought possible. Here are some great bonding activities you may never have considered.
- Work out together. If you don’t ever exercise with your partner, maybe now is the time to start! You’ll get to see a side of each other you usually don’t get to and at the very least you’ll get to see a new workout routine. He can show you the ropes on the weights and you can introduce him to spin class or vice versa. Plus, working out gives you an endorphin rush, leaving you feeling amazing about yourself and each other.
- Volunteer to help a cause you care about together. Not only do you get to spend time together doing something that gives back to your community but you get to both open yourself up to new experiences and see one another in a different light. Try to do something that’s especially meaningful to one or both of you and you’ll definitely grow closer than ever.
- Get an adrenaline rush! Science says we associate adrenaline with feelings of love and experiencing it together can help us bond. So go as crazy as you want to. You can do something as simple as going to a theme park and ride roller coasters together or as crazy as sky diving or bungee jumping. The world is your oyster! Do something that gets your blood pumping and create an experience you’ll never forget.
- See the world together. There’s no better way to quickly learn your partner’s good and bad sides than to spend 24/7 with them, especially in cramped quarters like a plane or hotel room. In the end, you’ll probably laugh about how your flight was delayed four times and the hotel lost your reservation. It’s the moments you didn’t plan for that usually end up being the most memorable. Plus, seeing the world will open your mind and your worldview like nothing else. That can only be a good thing.
- Open up to each other. There’s no better way to get closer than to really open yourself up to someone. Try sharing something about your past that scares you to share and encourage him to do the same. Listen with intent and kindness and don’t offer judgments. Ask questions and seek clarity. Empathize. If you can truly understand each other and what you’ve both been through, you’ll both feel closer to each other.
- Read a book together. Learning something new together and having meaningful discussions about it can really open up a new world in a relationship. Sometimes we get bored discussing the everyday, mundane ins and outs of life. “How was your day? What do you want for dinner?” But having something new and fun to discuss can be exciting and new. You can pick a mystery novel and discuss who you think is the killer. Maybe a self-help book about motivation or money? You can devise a plan together on how to become millionaires!
- Fight. No, I don’t mean put on your boxing gloves and duking it out and I don’t mean starting a fight with him to try and bring some passion back into your relationship either. (That’s never a good idea!) What I do mean is that you should be having regular conversations about your disagreements before they escalate into real fights. Tell each other what bothers you and what you want from your partner next time, but also listen to them and make sure to take notes on what they want from you in order to make this relationship work. If you’re constantly talking about what’s going wrong and what’s going right, you can keep moving forward.
- Get a dog. If you’re not quite ready for kids, you can try out parenting by getting a dog together. Sometimes loving someone (or something) else together can be the best bonding experience you can have. No one will understand how much you love Fluffy than he does because he loves Fluffy just as much!
- Try something new in the bedroom. If things are getting a bit stale, it may be time to spice it up a bit. You don’t have to do anything crazy. It could be as simple as buying some new lingerie, watching a sexy video together, or trying a new position. If you both like it, you can incorporate it into your regular routine. And if you love it, well, you’ll both be thinking about it all day at work the next day and that’s definitely brought you closer.
