Why Getting Outside With Your Partner Is A Priority
By Catherine Hamilton
Though it can be tempting to stay inside with your partner most of the time – watching Netflix, ordering in, playing games and even drinking, all without having to leave the comfort of your home – getting outdoors with your partner has a ton of benefits for your mental health and for the health of your relationship.
Especially after the pandemic – and the whole world’s collective isolation – a lot of us feel more introverted and inclined to stay at home than we would have in pre-covid times.
However, despite the fact that spending time with your partner in the home can be great, it’s important to step outside of your comfort zone and add variety to your routine in order to maximize your happiness in the long term.
With that being said, here are the top 4 reasons you should prioritize getting outdoors with your partner more often.
ACTIVITY RELEASES ENDORPHINS
Dating outdoors usually entails being active, whether you’re going for a walk in the park, a hike up a mountain or dancing at a music festival. Whatever the activity, as long as you’re moving, your body is releasing endorphins – a hormone known to boost mood, improve self-esteem and even reduce pain symptoms. Oh, that’s a very good thing by the way!
In short, getting outdoors with your partner is scientifically backed to improve your happiness, thanks to the release of this so-called ‘feel-good’ hormone so if you have a day to spare (or more), be sure to step outside and enjoy that sunshine with your partner.
QUALITY TIME WITH NO DISTRACTION
When you live with your partner – or if you spend a lot of time in each other’s homes, sometimes it can be easy to deprioritize quality time together. After all, you’re spending loads of time together, right?
However, with countless technological distractions – working on our laptops, checking social media on our phones or binging through TV series through Netflix – we can end up spending very little focused, quality time with each other, especially when we spend 24/7 indoors.
In contrast, doing your date nights outdoors gives us the opportunity to refocus, creating opportunities to have long, undistracted conversations with your partner, creating intimacy and heightening communication. These conversation may also lead to creative ideas, problem solving or in the best case scenario - you may find out something new and exciting about your partner.
KEEP YOUR RELATIONSHIP FRESH
When you’ve been with your partner for a while, it can be easy to fall into a routine – or, as some call it, a rut and stop seeking out new experiences. Not only is this likely to decrease your quality of living — after all, variety is the spice of life but it can reduce the satisfaction you feel in your relationship.
On the other hand, dating outdoors and seeking new experiences with your partner outdoors can help to maintain the health of your relationship. Getting outside with your partner encourages different sides of both of you to come out, allowing you to experience each other in a different way, as a change from the stay-at-home versions of yourselves.
SPICE UP YOUR SOCIAL LIFE
