{"id":11493,"date":"2020-02-10T06:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=11493"},"modified":"2020-02-10T10:02:27","modified_gmt":"2020-02-10T15:02:27","slug":"ignite-romance-this-valentines-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/ignite-romance-this-valentines-day.html","title":{"rendered":"Ignite Romance This Valentine&#8217;s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-11505\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2020\/02\/roses-2840743_1920-550x312.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"312\" \/>Valentine\u2019s Day is almost here! Are you planning the standard dinner out, flowers and candy? If so, this is nice, but maybe it\u2019s time to infuse a little more excitement into your relationship and ignite a little romance.<\/p>\n<p>The key is novelty! Our brain is wired for it. Novelty helps rekindle romance by triggering the same areas of the brain that lit up when the two of you met.\u00a0New experiences stimulate dopamine in the brain and that helps to bring feelings of romance. So this Valentine&#8217;s Day, here are a few ideas to keep romance alive:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1) Do a couple\u2019s spa night<\/strong>.Women love the spa, but so do men once they are exposed to going. Schedule the two of you for a few hours of relaxation and pampering. Check on-line coupon sites for deals to help with cost. This is actually quite fun and relaxing at the same time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2) Show love to a stranger or person in need<\/strong>. On Valentine&#8217;s Day, we think of doing something loving for our partner. Well, think out of the box. As a couple, go\u00a0to a homeless shelter, children\u2019s hospital, pet rescue or\u00a0a setting where showing love can bring joy to others. If this is something you rarely do, the novelty will ignite a spark!<\/p>\n<p><strong>3) Picnic somewhere scenic.<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Take a blanket, a basket of food and drinks and find a beautiful spot to picnic. For those of us in more northern climates, it may have to be an indoor place with a view, so be creative. You might even drive to a scenic place and picnic in your car. Or, if you have a fireplace, spread the picnic out on the floor! You could even find a beach scene or mountain retreat scene on your TV and picnic in front of the screen with soft music playing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4) If you can afford it, go to a nice hotel and truly get away<\/strong>. Turn off devices and enjoy the time together. Spend time in new conversations. What are your dreams, hopes, bucket list, etc.?<\/p>\n<p><strong>5) Do something you never do<\/strong>: Sign up for a cooking class, go on a hike or cross country ski, go bowling or play laser tag. I\u2019m sure you can think of a new activity. Remember, new stimulates the brain!<\/p>\n<p><strong>6) Create love notes all over the house with clues on how to find them.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>7) For those of you with a more creative side, write a poem, compose a song, or find quotes that express your love.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>8) Recreate your first date.<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>You may not be able to go back to the exact location, but you could use pictures, maps and reminders of the place, then create the date and relive the memory.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9) Create a surprise.<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0Don\u2019t tell your partner <\/span>where you are going or what you will be doing for a night out. Add a few clues along the way. This is fun and novel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10) Pull out old photos and reminisce about the most romantic times.<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Put on soft music, candles and set the atmosphere for more to come!<\/p>\n<p>This Valentine\u2019s Day, create a memory that strengthens the couple bond by doing something new to bring passion to your relationship. Romantic love doesn\u2019t have to fade over time. It just needs a few shots of novelty once in awhile!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Valentine\u2019s Day is almost here! Are you planning the standard dinner out, flowers and candy? If so, this is nice, but maybe it\u2019s time to infuse a little more excitement into your relationship and ignite a little romance. The key is novelty! Our brain is wired for it. Novelty helps rekindle romance by triggering the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[913],"tags":[4644,300,3194,4641,4638],"class_list":["post-11493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-couple-relationships","tag-ignite-romance","tag-love","tag-novelty","tag-spark-romance","tag-valentines-day-romance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ignite Romance This Valentine&#039;s Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/ignite-romance-this-valentines-day.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ignite Romance This Valentine&#039;s Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Valentine\u2019s Day is almost here! Are you planning the standard dinner out, flowers and candy? If so, this is nice, but maybe it\u2019s time to infuse a little more excitement into your relationship and ignite a little romance. The key is novelty! Our brain is wired for it. Novelty helps rekindle romance by triggering the&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/ignite-romance-this-valentines-day.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-10T11:00:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-02-10T15:02:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2020\/02\/roses-2840743_1920-550x312.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ignite Romance This Valentine's Day","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/ignite-romance-this-valentines-day.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ignite Romance This Valentine's Day","og_description":"Valentine\u2019s Day is almost here! Are you planning the standard dinner out, flowers and candy? If so, this is nice, but maybe it\u2019s time to infuse a little more excitement into your relationship and ignite a little romance. The key is novelty! Our brain is wired for it. 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Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. 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