Spring is the Perfect Time for a Relationship Make-Over: 3 Simple tips to Brighten and Rejuvenate Your Love Life

Spring is in the air and many people are getting out into their gardens and making plans to spring clean the attic, or the entire house! Time to dust, get rid of those pesky cobwebs and throw out what you don't need anymore. Do this for your relationship, too. The same old, same old can get tiring. If your relationship feels like it's in a rut, a little spring energy and vitality tune-up is all it needs to be fun and alive again!

Here are three super simple ways to give your relationship a quick and easy make-over:
1. Laugh together again. When was the last time you both enjoyed a good laugh either with or at each other? This is so important for your mental well-being. Yes, even couples in long-time relationships should laugh at each other. It's both healthy and constructive. Tension is released, which will help you both cope with outside external stress. And believe it or not, laughing together will keep you both sane and keep your relationship on track.

Just to clarify, poking fun at your partner in a mean-spirited way is not what I'm suggesting, but rather to keep your sense of humor and the ability to lovingly make fun of each other. Playful teasing can be both silly and romantic. Remember when you were first together how much you enjoyed calling each other nicknames based on some less-than-desirable physical or personality trait? The other day, my husband picked me up at the airport and called a friend and said: “The sparrow has landed.” This was a spoof on the statement: “The eagle has landed.” My husband was making fun of my tiny size by teasing me in a light-hearted way, and it was just what I needed after a long business trip!
The world and our relationships need all the laughter and humor we can bring to them. Engaging in laughter keeps negative energy at bay while keeping our hearts and minds open to the wonderful people in our world, including our partner.
2. Celebrate big and small moments! If we're honest with each other, sometimes daily life seems full of monotonous routine. Yet if you look closely, we're all creating moments within our days that really should be celebrated. Even if what happened isn't up there with a huge life-altering decision or circumstance, it's important to give all victories attention. So bring on the party, and celebrate minor and major ones galore!

The next best thing for someone who's experienced a new victory is sharing it with someone else, especially their significant other. Make sure you respond enthusiastically and ask your partner to give you all the juicy details that happened along the way. In fact, research shows that partners who cheer each other on and who celebrate each other's victories have a much stronger relationship and are more satisfied in it over the long term. This also includes complimenting each other and discussing each other's goals and achievements.
So make sure to capitalize on each other's victories and successful moments. Celebrating positive events together makes couples much happier than those who focus on the negative side of life.
3. Notice changes in your partner. So much of daily life can get so familiar that we tend to lose sight of changes in our partner. It's similar to placing a sticky note on your refrigerator to remind you of something you need to do. The more you look at it, the more it fades into the background until you finally stop noticing it. Similarly, we get to a place of familiarity with our relationship and forget to take a step back and notice subtle differences in our partner.
By becoming consciously aware of these differences, you are re-engaging your partner which increases your emotional connection. Start now by taking the time to slow down and really look and listen to your partner. Choose three things to observe, however simple, like a new shirt, a hairstyle or more dramatic things such as a shift in the way they're thinking. You'll be pleasantly surprised at all the things you'll pick up on that you have not noticed before.
You see, it doesn't take a lot of time and effort to infuse your relationship with new energy and enthusiasm. Make a commitment to bring back the laughter. What you get back will be incredibly rewarding. Life isn't always easy, but we can stop ignoring our day-to-day victories and those of our partner. Let the saying "Seize the Day" ("Carpe Diem" in Latin) become your new motto. Regularly celebrate life and your relationship.
Our relationships grow and change as we grow and change over time. Try not to take each other for granted. Just follow these three simple relationship make-over tips and actively re-engage your partner and reignite the fun, the support, and the love that brought you together in the first place. Go ahead and Spring forward!