By Claire Balungi
The current health circumstance has tilted the traditional physical romantic relationships towards a more virtual experience. Couple walks after work, movie dates, candle-lit dinners, acoustic music shows and night bus travels… that’s hard for a couple to pull off, with the current pandemic situation. Many relationships today have assumed the label of “long distance”, yet couples somehow have to manage, at least during the lockdown when physical meetings are discouraged.
I endorse social media as a perfect match maker which can also advance your relationship as it has done for my own. This shouldn’t seem so outlandish as couples in the 90’s and early 2000’s met and kept their romance going in chat rooms.
Here are 10 ways you can manage your romantic relationship online;
Schedule routine video calls
Decide on when you can have a special call each day. A morning video call can be good as it slaps some flesh onto the old “good morning” text. You get to see your sweetheart first before they start their day. This is a healthy way to start your day as it can send happy signals all over your body and keep you in high spirit the whole day. It’s a perfect way to wake up together. However, plan according to your schedule. Whatever time you set, make sure you feel comfortable during this special call with your loved one.
True attraction comes from exploration of the new and natural. Keep it as natural as you can; video calls are a good challenge to help you keep up with your partner’s appearance. From a distance, you can watch them “grow”. Monitor your partner’s appearance each day and watch out for physical changes. It’s good to pay attention.
Learn new things about each other with questions
You must have heard of the popular Truth or Dare game. Occasionally plant it in your conversations and look out for fun and surprising responses. Try not to make the game a central point as it could make your conversations monotonous and/or even boring. Write a list of questions you want answered by your partner and shoot whenever you’re ready. The questions don’t have to be attacking as this could breed bitterness and confusion, even insecurities. You could consider doing online quizzes and share your results with each other. By the way, do you know your partner’s personality type? Start there.
Share photos and videos from your daily activities
It’s liberating to know your partner’s engagements when you are far from each other. You want to be as involved in your partner’s daily routine as you can. If you are the kind that’s used to doing things together with your loved one, a photo can indeed be worth a thousand words. Videos are very expressive; they make your loved one more engaged and interested in your activity. Visual messages trigger good thoughts and happiness. A little video of you pouring tea or attempting some sit-ups goes a long way.
Send her/him a love letter
Dear love,
I like your brain… it starts there. I love how you arrange your words, your organized thoughts, how you express yourself… you’re a bit sensitive, but I’m fine with that. Your heart is touchy and I commit to caressing it with good thoughts every day. I love your artistic way of doing things. –Your loving sweetheart.
See, it can be as simple as whatever comes off your mind at that moment. If your partner appreciates them, emojis can help make your love letter more beautiful. If you are confident about your handwriting, you can pen down your letter on a piece of paper and share a photograph of it to your love. A sense of creativity always ignites little sweet fires. Write her a poem… give her a taste of your own literature. Beautiful, isn’t it? Huh.
Pray and play online games together
All your relationship will be, is built from the pieces of innocent promises and commitments to sharing fine doses of fun. Take your relationship to God and ask Him to inspire you to love harder every new day. Share prayer points and bleed nothing less than commitment to celebrating your partner’s answered prayers.
Identify fun online games and participate as competitors or as a team. Games trick the mind into gathering solutions to challenges, a discipline/skill that couples must have as it won’t always be ‘dancing romance’. It’s also a good way to bond.
- Start a blog together
Open a website or blog together. It’s a great old-fashioned way of furthering a long-distance relationship; each sharing thoughts in writing, photo, audio or video attachments. This creation can be a time capsule of your feelings… a rather brilliant way to write memoirs of your lock-down experiences. You can always read back and remember the days when your heart bled of golden affections, remember when it rained and how you found the answers you needed in between the lines of Sugar.
Sing for your partner
“If music be the food of love, play on.” –Will Shakes
Play a June Lodge and Prince Mohammed of each other; remind them about how you want to have a share of them every minute and every day of your lives. “Someone loves you honey.”
Something always magical about the voice of a person you love, rugged as it might be. Your choice of music might well depend on your chemistry, whatever it is, keep the love going with even your own original song compositions.
Make a list of the things you want to accomplish
Allow yourself to daydream, identify the milestones you want to hit and start investing in your future together. It can be financial, relationship goals or whatever. If you want to make your first deposit on your car as soon as ‘this is over’, start dropping some money into the box. If you want to mess up the dance floor first thing as soon as we’re out of the lockdown, make a list of the playlist that will help you vent all the harsh desires that built up and compounded while you were away from each other. Just make a list of all those little and big things you want to smile about together when accomplished.
Plant a flower and send your partner photos of you watering it.
Imagine how powerful the symbolism of watering your love and watching it grow can be. What a promise!
It’s a way to let them know that you’re determined to let your care for them grow even when the weather (circumstances) changes. Be true and intentional with your symbolic romantic gestures.
Start a health challenge (monitor your partner’s work-outs)
This is by far the healthiest check you can perform on your partner. No better way to say I love you than making sure to stay alive for each other. Your love should motivate you to burn the fat and be healthy to catch the smile on your love’s face after many more years. Be each other’s work-out partners and shine as brightly for ever. Monitor your partner’s work-out sessions by reviewing their jogging steps (if a digital record is available). Share photos that show the changes in your body shape and advise on new exercises to try.
