{"id":8968,"date":"2017-02-13T06:00:46","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=8968"},"modified":"2017-02-05T13:36:05","modified_gmt":"2017-02-05T18:36:05","slug":"valentine-exciting-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2017\/02\/valentine-exciting-way.html","title":{"rendered":"Be My Valentine&#8230;In A More Exciting Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8970\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2017\/02\/valentines-day-1947567_1920-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"valentines-day-1947567_1920\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>Valentine\u2019s Day is tomorrow. You still have one more day to plan\u00a0a romantic\u00a0and exciting day or night. But you need to give it some thought now. Be my valentine needs to be exciting, not boring!<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of doing the standard dinner out, flowers and candy. While all of that\u00a0is nice, how about infusing a little more excitement into what might\u00a0be considered a tired relationship.<\/p>\n<p>When you ask that special someone to be your valentine, do it with excitement.\u00a0The key to bringing in the romance is novelty! Yes, a break from the ordinary does wonders to wake up a sleepy couple. New experiences stimulate dopamine in the brain and bring feelings of romance. I am guessing that a number of us could use a little stimulating when it comes to our couple relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Here are 7 ideas to rev up the romance and stimulate the\u00a0brain. Go from boring to exciting!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do a couple\u2019s spa night<\/strong>. Schedule the two of you for relaxation and pampering. Check on-line coupon sites for deals. I\u2019ve done\u00a0a couple&#8217;s spa night and I highly recommend it. It&#8217;s\u00a0relaxing, romantic and fun. And may husband had never pampered himself with massage and other treatments. He loved it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Show love to a stranger or person in need<\/strong>. This is a really novel idea. Instead of focusing only on your love for each other, go to a homeless shelter, children\u2019s hospital or\u00a0someplace where showing love can bring joy to others. Then, when you come home, talk about the experience and appreciate each other. Point out positive qualities you noticed about your partner while engaging with others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Picnic somewhere scenic.<\/strong> Take a blanket, a basket of food and drink and find a beautiful spot to picnic. For those of you 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 view and picnic in your car. Or, if you have a fireplace, spread the picnic out on the floor! The point is forget the standard restaurant and dinner table. Create a new space to celebrate your love.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you can afford it, go to a nice hotel and truly get away<\/strong>. Spa or not, head for a change in scenery for one night. Leave your devices locked away for emergencies only and enjoy the time together. If you can afford it, order room services. Even one night of a get-away refreshes the soul.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do something you never do<\/strong>: Sign up for a cooking class, go on a hike, go bowling or play laser tag. Think of a fun activity that gets you active together and create a memory. For instance, one couple who never bowls, goes bowling on Valentine\u2019s Day just to stimulate the brain with a novel experience. And that is the idea. Make it novel. Create a surprise. Not knowing where you are going or what you are doing with only a few clues along the way adds to the fun and novelty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>For those of you with a more creative side, write a poem, compose a song, or find quotes that express your love. <\/strong>And if writing a poem or composing a song seems too ambitious, place love notes all over the house with clues on how to find them. You can google quotes if you have trouble thinking of what to say.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recreate your first date.<\/strong> You may not be able to go back to the exact location, but you could use pictures, maps and reminders of the place.\u00a0Then create the date and relive the memory. Pull out old photos and reminisce about the most romantic times. Put on soft music, candles and set the atmosphere for more to come! If you had a special song, get it ready to play. If you remember what you ate on that first date, prepare it. Remembering your feelings of first love can rekindle the present.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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. Don&#8217;t settle for routine. Romantic love needs a few shots of novelty once in awhile!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Valentine\u2019s Day is tomorrow. You still have one more day to plan\u00a0a romantic\u00a0and exciting day or night. But you need to give it some thought now. Be my valentine needs to be exciting, not boring! It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of doing the standard dinner out, flowers and candy. While all of that\u00a0is&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":[920,300,3194,953,956],"class_list":["post-8968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-couple-relationships","tag-couple-relationships-2","tag-love","tag-novelty","tag-romance","tag-valentines-day"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Be My Valentine...In A More Exciting Way<\/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\/2017\/02\/valentine-exciting-way.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Be My Valentine...In A More Exciting Way\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Valentine\u2019s Day is tomorrow. You still have one more day to plan\u00a0a romantic\u00a0and exciting day or night. But you need to give it some thought now. Be my valentine needs to be exciting, not boring! It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of doing the standard dinner out, flowers and candy. While all of that\u00a0is&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2017\/02\/valentine-exciting-way.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=\"2017-02-13T11:00:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-02-05T18:36:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2017\/02\/valentines-day-1947567_1920-300x200.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":"Be My Valentine...In A More Exciting Way","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\/2017\/02\/valentine-exciting-way.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Be My Valentine...In A More Exciting Way","og_description":"Valentine\u2019s Day is tomorrow. 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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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