Meet Jason and Sophie:
Jason is successful and celebrated in his field and moving up the corporate ladder. Each weekday he leaves the house for the office at 7.30 am, he gets home at 7.00 pm every night, unless he is on a business trip. Sophie is a Solopreneur, a Personal Stylist with a solid client base, she loves her work! She is home everyday to get the kids off to school and she is there everyday when they come home. They have it all together and everyone who is not them, wants to be them!!
With the kids in bed their evenings are spent with Jason catching up on reports for head office and studying to keep the edge on his competitors, while Sophie researches trends and suppliers, she keeps her web presence fresh and alive and together they schedule the gym and yoga classes making sure that one of them is with the kids most evenings. They fall into bed exhausted!
Weekends they catchup with friends, family, birthday parties, do the chores, run the kids to their extra curricular events, etc etc etc As a couple they are pleasant to each other all the while ignoring the fact that they are growing apart more and more every day. He talks to his friends about his frustrations, aspirations and some-days…. She talks to her friends….
Change the names, change the work, change the roles, it does not matter… The principles remain the same.
Why take your relationship on a vacation?
To recoup, nurture and energize your relationship!
Actually unplugging from work and spending time in different surroundings will change the way our brain thinks, allowing inspiration and creativity to flow for you, your partner and your relationship. Nothing turns a relationship stale as quick as routine will!
Getting out of your familiar surroundings helps to bring a new perspective on the daily routine and therefore on your relationship.
Where to take your relationship on vacation:
- Go for a walk together with no plans and no final destination – hold hands – talk – listen, discuss your future, your desires and any issues that you may be experiencing.
Tip: Sometimes walking side by side and instep together can make some of the more difficult issues easier to talk about.
- Eat out at a new restaurant it will bring freshness to your thinking. Experience a new culture through food, remember it is all about breaking the daily routine!
- Make a date to talk and explore possibilities for your future and dream together, work on a vision board or mind map together. Bonus: You will be amazed as you see your ‘vision’ coming to pass in your lives.
- Take an actual vacation, go as far away as your budget will allow you to go. Pre-determine to get your mind off of work and any problems and just enjoy your partner. Remind yourself of the color of their eyes, the softness of their hair or the shininess of their beautiful bald head (wink). Remember and relive the early days, when you met, the fun times that you have had together over the years, silly times, special times…
- Travel abroad, experiencing different cultures broadens our view and shakes up our thinking, everyone is different and we are reminded that ‘our way’ is not always the ‘only way’!
Leave your baggage at home and travel light hearted, remember that old song Judy Garland sang – “Forget your troubles come on get happy, You better chase all your cares away” Sounds good to me!!
What fresh new experience do you have planned for you, your partner and your relationship, how are you enjoying your fresh autumn evenings or your bright spring days?
I love to hear from you!
Hugs and remember…
You Can Do Relationships!!
Deb xo
Relationship Consultant
The 3 Minute Relationship CoachTM
If you would like to “Get Clarity” for your relationship, I offer a 30 minute complimentary call that will get you started and answer your immediate questions. Contact Me!
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article Deb. Date nights are so important, no matter how long you’ve been together….
Deb…great post! It is hard to balance business and family…i am still learning myself as I now build my new business here in SA. But we have made several decisions in order to protect and nurture our relationship. One, no internet after 7 unless circumstances demand it and we are in agreement to break the rule. Also, Adriaan has a monthly business trip, on the road, and I tag along. Yes, it puts big dent into mybusiness time as internet is uncertain and electricity is generally left to the hotel at night. BUT…as insignificant as it may seem, that time on the road is valuable and those evenings when we are disconnected from the world, often on the sofa watching a movie or a favorite sitcom together, are too. Beyond that, we work diligently to spend time together in simple ways…a day at the beach, coffee without the inlaws (they live with us), a night at the movies…I had the marriage you just described in this post. i’ll not have it again if I have any say! :-)
This is great advice! My husband and I work from home and our businesses overlap. It is amazing what happens to us when we do many of the things you just suggested. We are reminded of why we spend so much time together…we actually DO like each other!
“Leave your baggage at home”…..brilliant post, Deb! I love how it can be as simple as a walk together, hand in hand, or exploring the world! Fantastic advice, Deb!!
Love this article!! It’s so true that what looks perfect on the outside isn’t necessarily so…that was how our life was life…a long time ago..thankfully we caught it very soon, changed our routines, and made our relationship a priority…thanks for sharing this wonderful post!:)
Deb, you make some very good points. I’m not in a relationship now but used to be married to an airline pilot. We saw each other 3-4 days a week and he would be gone 2-3 days at a time. There are a lot of things that can play havoc with a relationship and keeping it “fresh” is a must. Good post.
YES! And we are – next weekend :) Sometimes it is really helpful to get away from life for a little while and re-connect!
Date nights are very important and something we don’t do often enough! Thanks for the reminder!
I am advocate of taking time out. Couples need to take a break from their children once in a while…or, sometimes, from their partner, too. Managing relationships with everyone can be overwhelming at times, so a personal retreat is going to be of help. It does not only provide you with a breather, but your partner, too. I encourage couples to once in a while meet up with their girl friends or guy friends. Everyone should nourish their own self.
I loved this article, Deborah! While routine is comforting it does get stale. Date night is so important as well as time to communicate each day. It’s when couples stop having time for themselves to connect that is dangerous. Good stuff!
Thank you so much Deb, this is such a wonderful article and so many reasons why we have to take the relationship on vacation! :)
All great suggestions! I think I will try and do them all, in the near future! It is so very important to do the date night, eating out, trying new adventures keeps it all fresh and both in the tune to each other. Thanks
What a great way of transmitting your message… vacationing from all the distractions, obligations, etc… And, great ideas of things to do with your spouse. I am going to try some of these out! Woohoo! x0x
The LEARNED Preneur at NormaDoiron.NET
I love doing this with my Husband. When we go to various hotels for whatever reason, it is always fun to have time to just be together. It always reminds me, when we step away from our everyday lives, we have lots of fun together!