We love a good relationship challenge and often encourage our couples to engage in these after-sessions. We want to challenge you to try out this 5-Day challenge and see how it creates more connection in your marriage.

5 Day Relationship Challenge

1. Send a daily thought to your partner:

   1. “I love you”

   2. “I’m thinking of you.”

   3. “I miss you.”

   4. “I hope you are having a great day.”

1. Write down 3 reasons you are grateful for your partner. Take it to the next level and share it with them 

2. Sit down and schedule time together over the next few months. Schedule it in your calendar and prioritize your relationship.

3. Cook a meal or dessert together. Take turns making it and then sit down to enjoy what you created together. 

4. Reflect on how you have grown together throughout your relationship. Bonus: discuss what you would like to do better with one another in the future. 

Day 1:  I will be sharing a daily action step you can take with your partner this week to express your love and care for them.

Today's challenge is to text your partner, letting them know you are thinking of them, missing them, and/or loving them. Feel free to personalize your message! The goal is to show them that you are thinking of them fondly. This is an action step we can take daily in our relationships. Expressing fondness can increase connection and security in our relationships.⠀

What message will you send? Share below!

Day 2: According to John Gottman, creator of Gottman Method Couples Therapy, there is a magic ratio for making love last. That ratio is 5:1 which means for every negative interaction in your relationship, you need 5 positive interactions. This often reminds me of when we were little kids and our teachers would make us say 2 positive things when we said one negative/mean thing to another kid. Who knew that teachers were teaching us a valuable relationship lesson with that?⠀

I encourage couples to practice the 5:1 ratio by implementing gratitude into their daily habits. It has been found that expressing gratitude regularly can change the structure of the brain and make us happier and healthier. I challenge couples to do this by naming three things they are grateful for in their relationship or about their partner daily for 21 days. It takes 21 days to form a habit and when you set this intention for those days it will become natural to do it often in your relationship.

There are many ways to go about this:

1.) Journal your gratitude at the beginning or end of the day for your partner.⠀

2.) Share your gratitude for each other when you share a meal.⠀

3.) Make it a challenge and invite other couple friends to join you-you can do this through social media or by starting a text group.⠀

4.) Put post-it notes on the bathroom mirror or in your partner's car each day sharing your gratitude. 

Mindfulness is key to implementing this into your life and relationship. You have to create a system that works for you to practice this daily!⠀

Try it out and come share how this changes your relationship!

Day 3: Life can get really busy and it can be hard to figure out what needs to be prioritized and what does not. It is okay to schedule in time together to ensure you are having quality time in your relationship. Take time today to look at your calendars together and set future times together. This helps you both be on the same page and have something to look forward to.⠀

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What is your favorite quality time activity to do?

Day 4: Keeping it simple is important in your relationship. Elaborate, creative dates are fun, but it can be hard to keep that up over time. Remember that the small gestures and simple gifts mean just as much as the big, outrageous ones. ⠀

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I love this activity because it does not require spending money (you can utilize what you already have in the house) but it requires you to work together being creative. Creativity is important to add to your relationship to grow and learn together!⠀

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What meal are you going to cook?

Day 5:  Reflect on your relationship history and how you have grown since the beginning. What moments are you proud of together? What moments shaped who you are today? What do you want to celebrate about your story?

Bonus: Spend time discussing what you want to do better in your future together.