According to Drs. John and Julie Gottman, world-renowned psychologists and researchers of couple relationships, if you are too busy for a date night, you are just too busy! Date nights are always doable, but you may need to get creative, especially as we continue to experience restrictions from the pandemic. A date “night” can occur anytime during the day, and is time set aside for you and your partner to leave your day-to-day roles and responsibilities and just focus on each other.
Here are some tips to overcome common challenges to maintaining regular date nights:
- Time: Carve out a specific and regular time each week and put this in your calendars as you would any other appointment, and stick to it. If you wouldn’t cancel that doctor’s appointment, don’t cancel date night!
- Money: Dates don’t have to cost a lot of money or even any money at all. Couples can pack a picnic, go for a walk, or sit in a park to spend time together.
- Childcare: Consider trading childcare with other couples or asking a trusted family member or friend to watch your children. However, childcare of any sort may not be an option for some couples during COVID-19. If this is the case for you, follow this link to our blog post on date ideas that you can do at home.
