Mornings tend to be hectic, and it’s hard to spend quality time with your significant other if you’re rushing out the door. However, if you want to demonstrate your love at the start of the day, you might want to engage in some little morning habits that can make your partner melt. You don’t have to spend time making them a lavish breakfast in bed everyday, but taking a few minutes out of your time to show some affection can help strengthen your relationship and even set the tone for the remainder of your day.
“The morning is a great time to connect, as it allows you to focus all your attention on each other before the rest of the day,” psychosexual and relationship therapist Kate Moyle tells Bustle. “It can often be difficult for couples to switch off at the end of the day because they have so much on their mind or they are still distracted by what they feel that they need to do or haven’t done. It’s also important to think about how the act of waking up next to someone is in itself a pretty special thing and to be appreciative of that.”
If you’re looking for a little romance and connection at the start of your day, consider these 11 little morning habits that can make your partner melt.
1 Make The Bed
Sometimes, small acts can go a long way. If you’re the last out of the bed, do your partner a favor and make it. “Making the bed takes just a few moments, but is a real treat to get into at night, which could set the stage for a romantic evening,” sexologist and relationship therapist Laurel Steinberg, PhD tells Bustle.
2 Discuss Your Plans For The Day
Most people’s lives are busy, with activities that are always changing. “Go over the day with each other, so each one of you knows what the other’s day is going to be like,” relationship coach Fran Greene LCSWR tells Bustle. “It really helps the two of you to stay connected by knowing each other’s schedules.”
3 Cuddle
Touch can be a powerful healing tool and is crucial to strengthening relationships. “A great habit that can really help couples that have been together a long time is to create a habit of touching each morning,” clinical sexologist Sunny Rodgers tells Bustle. “Now, I am not suggesting a sexual touch, although a hug or kiss is great. I’m talking about holding hands or placing a loving hand or caress on your partner. By making touch a habit each morning subtle, beneficial changes will start to happen in a partnership.”
4 Engage In Loving Talk
What better way to start the day than to share loving words with each other. “It’s a way to consistently let your partner know that you do not take them for granted by expressing your love each and every day,” says Greene. “Never leave home without a kiss, a hug, saying ‘I love you, or ‘Have a good day,;”
5 Share An Activity
Pick a day once a week to do a special activity together. “It could be having breakfast out, going for a 10-minute walk, taking a shower together, exercising as a couple, or even cleaning up from the night before,” says Greene. Planning a set day to spend time together gives you something to look forward to when you wake up.
6 Express Your Gratitude
Tell each other something that you are grateful for about each other. “A little appreciation goes a long way, but is something that we often forget to do, as we get preoccupied and caught up with everything else that is going on,” says Moyle. “Start the day with an appreciation or compliment.”
7 Make A Cup Of Coffee Or Tea
Make your partner a cup of something and sit in bed together to start your day. “Every couple can take 10 minutes to enjoy a quick cup in bed,” says Moyle. “Take alternate days to be on tea or coffee duty, and then sit in bed together for 10 minutes and enjoy it, using the time to talk and share.”
8 Just Admire Each Other
Take the time to just lie in bed for a bit and look into each other’s eyes. “This is one of the first ways that we learn to connect as babies and plays a crucial role in attachment and bonding in relationships,” says Moyle. “The more we use technology and screens, the more time we are spending looking at them rather than into our partner’s eyes, so it’s important to make time and space for this form of innate intimacy.”
9 Think About Your Goals
Choose a common goal that both of you can work together on, and check in with each other at the start of the day to see how it’s going. “It could be a common goal to become more active or it could be creating your own personal book club and each partner agrees to read five to 10 pages that day,” says Rogers. “Each morning, partners should create a habit of connecting and discussing their goals and what they’ll do to get them.”
10 Work Out Together
Kill two birds with one stone by fitting in your workout in the morning while also connecting with your partner. “Some people who like to exercise can take a walk together or a morning run, which produces endorphins that can help increase the feeling of pleasure or even sexuality,” clinical sexologist Dr. Stacy Friedman tells Bustle.
11 Fit In A Quickie
Make the time for a morning quickie — especially if you tend to get tired late at night. “Sex and orgasms are a great way to start the morning, and people will wonder why you are always in such a good mood,” says Friedman. “That way if you have had a long day and are too tired to be intimate later in the eve, it is a great habit to enjoy so you keep your intimate connection.”
Even if you only wake up 10-15 minutes earlier than you normally do, it’s nice to make the time to spend a little extra moment with your significant other.
