7 ways to be more romantic

Did you know that August is the month of Romance Awareness? If you didn’t, don’t worry – it’s not a widely known thing. But now that you do, what are you going to do about it? What does it even mean?

First and foremost, ‘romance awareness’ shouldn’t be scary! As I understand it, to be romance aware is just to be on the lookout for ways to be nice to the person you love in your life – to do nice things for them.

Showing a bit of romance doesn’t have to be a lavish or overwhelmingly expensive gesture. Often it’s the simpler actions that speak loudest.

For Mrs Romance and I, all we do is be open to thinking of ways to make each other’s lives as pleasant an experience as possible. We look to bring romance to the everyday.

This has kind of become our family philosophy.

It might be as simple as making sure you both go to bed at the same time or bringing your partner a glass of water in the morning when they wake up.

Maybe your other half likes having their back rubbed when they’re watching TV.

Do it. It’ll make their day better.

The other important thing to do is to be aware of what your partner’s doing. Anticipate what they might need. If I hear Mrs Romance’s asthma playing up, I’ll go and find her inhaler. She might not need it but that’s not important.

Most of all though, remember to laugh at yourself and with each other.

7 ways to be more romantic

1. Listen to your partner

Your time is your most valuable gift. Take time to listen to your partner, but really listen. Put your phone down. Turn the TV off. Spend some quality time together and show them you are listening.

2. Surprise them
Mrs Romance loves a surprise – even if it’s just her favourite chocolates. I sometimes buy some and leave them somewhere I know she’ll find them eventually. Here are some other ideas we’ve had for romantic surprises.

3. Go on a date

Take your partner on a night out and get a taxi so you can both have fun. If getting a babysitter is too hard, pick up a takeaway and have a movie night at home instead.

4. Reminisce together

Go through old photos, talk about old times or go and revisit the place of your first date. Relive those memories of first meeting and falling in love.

5. Do their chores

It may not seem like the most romantic thing, but if you can tick a boring task off their to do list, you free up time for more fun. These small gestures like unpacking the dishwasher or doing the washing are the things that mean the most at the end of a long day.

6. Book a holiday

Something to plan for and look forward to creates a bit of excitement and romance. Even a weekend away or a stay-cation sets the scene. We love a stay-cation – we go away in our own city all the time.

Even better, book a hotel room on the spur of the moment. Spontaneity can be very romantic. Check out LastMinute.com, Stayz.com or the phone app Hotel Tonight.

7. Go public

Make sure you say nice things about each other to friends and family. A lot of the time we might think nice things about each other but saying positive things makes a huge difference.

Do you go for big romantic gestures? What are the little things that you find the most romantic?