7 New Ways to Get Closer to Your Partner This Valentine’s Day

Do you feel like you’re just going through the motions with your partner instead of really appreciating them as a person or the time you spend together? Or maybe you’re feeling good together but wanting more creative ways to get even closer.

No matter where you are in your romantic relationship, Valentine’s Day is a time to come together and celebrate unity and love more intentionally. Whether you’re getting ready for a first date or you’ve been married for decades, here are seven ways to add more spice and nourish a romantic relationship.

Unleash Your Creative Side Together

Letting your inner artists out together is a fun way to express your relationship. Added bonus: Studies show that being creative can improve your health.

Most art studios feature date-night painting classes or pottery-making options. You can also make new magic together at home with paints, markers, coloring books, or puzzles. You can even set a theme for your art by making a personalized valentine for one another.

Ask Each Other Meaningful Questions

One of the easiest ways to show your partner that you care about them is to simply ask them questions about their life, their hopes, dreams, and perspectives. No matter how long you’ve been with someone, there is always more to learn.

Try the 36 questions that lead to love popularized by Mandy Len Catron’s 2015 Modern Love column in The New York Times. Used by couples therapists and psychologists around the world, they include questions like: “If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?”

Another meaningful way to grow closer is to learn each other’s love language by taking the Enneagram test or discover your vibrational healing style together.

Give Each Other an Oracle Card Reading

Unlike tarot card decks, which are steeped in ritual and have a lot of structure, oracle decks give you more flexibility and room for interpretation. They can be great tools for getting closer to others as you pull cards for one another. Easy to navigate and use, oracle cards can be more fluid and organic in interpretation leading to a more playful and flirty reading.

[Read: “Oracle Cards for Beginners.”]

Before you do your card reading, set the scene. Start by asking your partner to sit in front of you with a candle, or blindfold them, which can add a layer of intrigue and suspense to the experience. By carving out creative ways to set the scene and make the reading feel like a ritual, you’ll have a date night with purpose, and this in itself will be a night worth remembering.

And if oracle cards aren’t your thing, try a deck like Mark Groove’s Create the Love Cards designed to deepen your connections.

Go on a Future Field Trip Together

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine and forget about your big-picture love. One of the most rewarding ways to reconnect with your loved one is to dream together again. You can share openly what your ideal life looks and feels like, creating vision boards together to match it. You can also try a future field trip or other sensual writing rituals, or even do guided meditations together. It can be exciting to share your vision and create a plan together to reach your life goals.

Open Your Chakras Together

Our chakras are energy centers in our bodies, and when they’re blocked they can make for some pretty tough times. The good news is that you can balance your chakras in myriad ways. I often tell my life coaching clients to work with the root chakra first because if we don’t feel safe in the world, we won’t feel safe in our relationships.

Your root chakra is located at the base of your spine in the tailbone area. This is where our sense of security lies. There are many ways to open a blocked root chakra. Start by going for a walk outside together in nature. You can also meditate or chant together. Consider journaling on the question, “I feel safe and accepted when …” and share your insights with one another. You can even get flirty in the kitchen and balance your root chakras together by cooking Ayurvedic or apoptogenic recipes such as these chakra soups.

Make Playlists for Each Other

It’s no secret that music can change your mood, but most of us have certain songs that resonate on an even deeper emotional level. Neuroscientists have found that your brain releases dopamine (the same chemical released during sex) as a response to certain emotional parts of a song. Put together a playlist of songs that make you think of your partner and share with them. You’ll get all the feels.

Interpret Your Partner’s Dreams

This activity is fun and effective for building a deeper connection, but it’s also great for pumping up your own intuitive skills. A great many people are convinced their dreams can have a deeper meaning—for example, you think dreaming of a tsunami means you’re overwhelmed with emotions in your waking life, or an intimate dream with someone famous might signify your desire to feel special and have people notice you. Sharing your nightly subconscious adventures with your significant other can help build intrigue and help you understand one another on a deeper, more intimate level.

This Valentine’s Day, move beyond flowers and chocolate to keep your romantic bond strong. Small interactions that show your partner how much you care can make an impact long past the holiday.

Feeling the love? Make a commitment for Valentine’s Day (with or without a partner).