This Is How Often You & Your Partner Should Switch It Up With A Date Night, Experts Say
At the beginning of a relationship, you and your new partner probably went out pretty regularly. Whether it was a fancy date or a trip to the movies, things were new and exciting, and you wanted to go on adventures as often as possible. As you got more comfortable in the relationship, you may have found yourselves going out less and staying in more. And while there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, actually going out together really has its benefits. But then the question becomes, how often should you have a date night? Once a week? Once a month? It depends on who you ask. I spoke to two experts and they had two different answers, but both agreed that date night should be a consistent thing you and your partner look forward to.
"It’s important to have a date night every single week," Thomas Edwards, founder of The Professional Wingman, tells Elite Daily. "It may sound like a lot but let’s look at it from a different perspective. Go back to the early days when you were first dating your partner." The two of you were making an effort to see each other once a week, if not more. You were planning fun dates to woo the other, and that shouldn't be something you lose completely as your relationship goes on. "To maintain and grow that connection, it’s important to do the very things that got you in the relationship to begin with, such as, taking each other out on dates," he says.
If once a week seems like too much for you and/or bae's schedules, life coach Nina Rubin thinks at least once a month is perfectly fine also. "It’s important to be in the world together and create new experiences," she tells Elite Daily. "Even if you plan nights in, I still believe that getting out is refreshing. When you first met, it’s likely you went out more. Going out is a great way to keep the spark alive and interacting as a couple." When planning your monthly date nights, Rubin recommends planning things that are more interactive and exciting, as opposed to going to dinner and a movie.
If you've noticed that you and your partner have gotten way too comfortable staying in, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It could just mean you're both too tired from your days to do something that involves putting on real clothes. "It’s so easy after a long day at work or with the kids to just want to grab a glass of wine, sit on the couch, and catch up on your latest show together," Edwards says. "And while that is totally necessary some nights, other nights, your partner may be interested in connecting with you in a different way. Having experiences (read: dates) that take you out of the house will put the focus on the two of you to share and connect more with one another."
As much as you love cuddling up with your sweetheart on the couch, some Chinese takeout in hand and Netflix playing your favorite show, actually going out sometimes might be a nice change. You don't have to go on dates as often as you did when you were at the peak of your honeymoon phase, but once a week or once a month, switching things up can be refreshing. You don't have to go all out every date night, but as long as it gets you and your boo out of the house and allows for quality time spent having fun together, it should be a fun, welcome change. Now go plan your dream date!
