"Do something every day to make your partner feel special."
Romancing a lover tends to come naturally in the early days but as time goes on, it's easy to take each other for granted. When romance fades, sex often follows suit – but if you make an effort to seduce your lover no matter how long you've been together, you're much more likely to keep the passion alive.
- Set a date night: Set aside time purely for the two of you, and take it in turns to choose the date, to help keep things fresh. Pick a regular date night – say, every Tuesday – and make it cast in stone. Your relationship needs to take priority in life sometimes. Better to have a monthly date night you always stick to than a weekly one that you don't.
- Listen: Early dates tend to involve lots of conversation, discovering shared interests and passions. As time goes on, it's easy to switch off to a partner and forget why you fell for them in the first place. Make time to catch up with each other every day, and show your lover respect by paying attention to what they say. People change and grow over time, and it's only by truly listening to each other that you'll grow together.
- Spend time apart: This is particularly important if you live together. If you only see friends together or spend time with each other, you're a lot more likely to get bored because it's easier to believe you know everything your partner has to say. Balance your social life to include time apart with friends – and time alone – and it's more likely you'll find your partner exciting ten years in.
- Make every day romantic: Some people save romance for Valentine's Day, birthdays and anniversaries but this puts too much pressure on those days to be 'perfect'. Instead, do something every day to make your partner feel special. Whether it's leaving a love note on the pillow when you go to work, cooking your partner's favourite meal or simply paying a genuine compliment, a little bit of romance every day will lead to a whole lot of love.
- Compromise: Romance isn't all about roses and chocolates. Sometimes, simply letting your partner get their own way without any resentment is the most romantic option of all – as long as it goes both ways over time, of course.