No matter how long you have been married, there are always things you can do every day to make your wife happier and more fulfilled. Here are nine suggestions.
1. Call her from work to express love
While you spend hours upon hours apart each day, be sure to check in with no other purpose than to say "I love you." Despite having a calendar full of to-do's, make sure you call her "just because." Whether she's at home with the kids or working at her own job, she'll appreciate knowing she really is in your thoughts and that you took the time to show her. A simple text or quirky Snapchat also work, but hearing your voice will brighten her day in a way nothing else can.
2. Play with the kids
Whether you help them set the table for dinner, play in the sandbox, or make time to read stories, the time you spend with your kids will alleviate her load-whether she has been home all day with the kids or working relentless hours at the office. The maxim was never truer of the woman who said to her kids, "I never knew how much I loved your Father until I saw how much he loved you."
3. Plan a vacation
Your budget may limit the vacations you can take, but it is a fact that planning one makes you happier. Researchers in the Netherlands studied more than 1,500 people to find the connection between vacation time and happiness. According to their findings, "the largest boost in happiness comes from the simple act of planning a vacation". The actual vacation, they found, "boosted happiness for eight weeks." Find something you can both look forward to by planning your getaway together.
4. Kiss her for 15 seconds or more
It's no secret the passionate kisses you shared as a young couple fade. One simple way to improve your marriage is to make sure you have at least one 15-second kiss every day. As Ryan and Selena Frederick of FierceMarriage.com discovered, 15 seconds can make a huge difference.
"Kissing makes us feel closer; and since we always want to feel closer it makes sense to make purposed kissing a daily part of our lives," writes Ryan. "Kissing reminds us of the distinctly human qualities (good and bad) that we fell in love with in the first place"¦ [and] drown out distractions around us."
5. Turn off the TV
Or the computer. Or the smartphone. It's no secret "technology is affecting all kinds of social interactions," notes Dr. Meghan Tyler, author of "Selling Sex Short". If you find you often interrupt face-to-face conversations to answer your mobile or reply to a text, you need to make a change. Put down the phone. Log off your social accounts and invest some one-on-one, face-to-face time each day. Dr. Tyler is quick to point out this doesn't require hours everyday. Even a few minutes will help. "You have to reinvest in your relationship, which doesn't mean spending eight hours a day in it. You can spend six seconds or 10 minutes daily and see a change."
6. Remind her why she fell in love with you
Do you remember what you did to win her hand and what she did to win your heart? Remembering-and recreating-those moments is key to building a beautiful future. Play one of your songs; look at photos from the early days; talk about what you did together that you particularly enjoyed.
7. Keep your spiritual bond strong
Take time together to block out all distractions. Whether that's reading scripture passages, praying or meditating together, or enjoying the peacefulness of nature, it's important to connect spiritually as a couple. She needs the break from her everyday craziness and will appreciate when you take the lead and initiate some time doing those things you both feel strengthen your souls.
8. Perform random acts of kindness
Do something small every day that plays into what says "love" to her. It could be a simple written note, a spoken sentence or two of appreciation and affirmation, or doing a service like washing the dishes or mowing the lawn. Give her a gift in a way that means most to her and see her smile.
9. Pamper her a little
She doesn't need the spa everyday, but she does deserve some special treatment. Try giving her a five-minute foot or neck massage, paint her toenails for her, or make her daily shower a decadent one by gifting her a bottle of her favorite bath gel or a soft and absorbent bamboo towel.
There are plenty of ways you can light up your wife's life every single day. Cariloha believes everyone deserves some pampering every day. Check out their line of ultra-soft, comfortable products that will make your job a little easier.
