Spending quality time with your spouse may the farthest thing from your mind when you wake up in the morning. Besides getting the kids ready for school, you’ve got work meetings and errands that are probably higher up on your list of things to do for the day.
But we forget that our mornings really set the tone for the rest of the day. Dedicating just a little time and effort to our relationship can make a world of a difference to our marriage. You might not think that you’re much of a morning person, but by being mindful of how you spend your mornings, you’ll probably learn to cherish these early hours as well.
Here are some things you can do in the morning to jumpstart your relationship.
1. Wake up earlier to have a little “morning date”
Just an extra 10 minutes alone can really make a difference. Prevention recommends just sitting down with your spouse over a cup of coffee, to just talk and relax before getting on with your day. Even though losing even a few minutes of sleep may seem like a tall order, starting the day with a nice moment together will do wonders to your mood.
Photo: Dreamstime
2. Stay positive
We all want to start our days on a high note, so make an effort to be the most joyful version of yourself when you wake up. As Romper puts it, positivity is contagious, so if you see that your spouse has woken up on the wrong side of the bed, make it a point to encourage them instead of letting them put a damper on your own mood.
3. Get physical
We’re not talking morning sex—though that’s good too. Touch can communicate love and affection, and a little (a nice hug, cuddle, or hand squeeze over breakfast) can go a long way.
Romper recommends that we heed University of California’s Dr. Dacher Keltner, who wrote that “people can identify love, gratitude, and compassion from touch—it signals safety, trust, and soothes.”
Photo: Dreamstime
4. Go for a morning walk
Allogh.com recommends going outside and having a short walkabout first in the morning to boost your mood and get your blood pumping. And what can be more romantic than walking hand in hand while the rest of the world is still waking up?
5. Send sweet good morning texts
If you and your spouse have vastly different schedules, and one of you has been long out of the house by the time the other wakes up, you can make each other’s day by making sure that you wake up to sweet texts. Let your spouse know that you are thinking of them and that though you might’ve been together for quite a while, you still know how to text like when you first started dating.
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