As the flowers bloom and the days grow longer, spring is a time for renewal and fresh starts. Many choose this time to declutter their home and safe spaces, but this is also the time to refresh your relationship. Just like a house, a relationship can accumulate emotional dirt and routine ruts. A spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity to start fresh in your relationship. This can bring back the spark you might be missing and strengthen your connection. These are some steps you can take to achieve this:

1. Clear Out Emotional Clutter

Overtime, unresolved issues can cause emotional distance. This new season gives you a chance to sit down and talk with your partner about any lingering frustrations. Take time to schedule a time where you can talk sincerily and honestly about what you have been feeling. It is important to make it a productive conversation, where you focus on the solution, not the blaming. One method to try is the “I feel” statements. Where you focus on telling your partner what you feel about certain situations and not accusing them. 

2. Reorganize your Priorities 

Life can get very busy at times, from managing jobs, your personal life and your relationship. Spring is a great time to reassess your priorities, and make sure your relationship is getting the attention it deserves. If you think your relationship deserves more time, you can plan a date night or even watching a movie at home or going on a walk can give your relationship the quality time it deserves. 

3. Dust Off your Communication Skills

The foundation of a healthy relationship is good communication between both partners. Make an effort to engage more deeply in daily or weekly conversations with your partner about how the relationship can improve. Make sure to be open minded, listen actively and understand each others thoughts and feelings. 

4. Declutter your Routine

Falling into the same routine can make a relationship feel stale. This is the reason to shake things up and be spontaneous once in a while. Introducing new activites that you can both do or revisiting each others hobbies can serve as an act of love. It can be from the smallest thing like trying a new recipe together or starting a new project you can both work on, that can change the relationship dynamic when it seems to be getting stale.

5. Refresh your Intimacy

This new season means its important to renew the intimacy in the relationship. Physical and emotional closeness can fade when life gets hectic. Taking time to reconnect is really important for both partners in the relationship. Physical touch can be strengthen in many ways. Start by holding each others hands, hugging more often or planning a romantic evening. Emotional intimicy can be showned by expressing gratitude and supporting each others dreams. This can be seen as taking intentional steps as a way to reconnect. 

6. Plant Seeds for the Future

Spring is all about growth, so it’s important to take this time to set new relationship goals. Maybe creating a relationship butcket list with experiences you want to do together and milestones you want to reach. This can make you create daily habits to work towards these goals. Talk together about where you want the relationship to be in a year and what are some short term and long term memories you want to create together. 

Just as a clean and organized home can feel refreshing, a relationship free from clutter can thrive and make your relationship feel stronger and fresher. Make it a priority this new season to reconnect and prioritize your relationship. 

Happy Spring!

Written by Amy Ayala

Intern, BA in psychology