Okay so here’s the deal – six months into dating my current partner, things started feeling kinda weird. We weren’t fighting or anything, but that new relationship energy definitely wore off. Felt like we were just going through motions sometimes. So I went digging for expert relationship advice to get past this hump.
What I Actually Did
First thing Monday morning, I blocked out lunch break specifically for research. Went through like five psychology articles about the “6-month slump” everyone talks about. Biggest takeaways:
- Schedule dedicated no-phone time (we’d been scrolling TikTok side-byside for weeks)
- Recreate your first date to spark old memories
- Ask three new questions weekly – not “how was work?” crap
The Awkward Part
Tried the first date recreation thing last Wednesday. Took her back to that burger joint where we spilled shakes everywhere on date one. Felt super forced at first – like “hey remember when we did this artificially romantic thing?” But halfway through, we actually started laughing about how terrible we were at flirting back then.
Saturday morning was make-or-break time. Made pancakes and dropped the new questions: “What’s something you’re secretly proud of this week?” and “If we could teleport anywhere right now, where you picking?” Turns out she’d fixed a gnarly work crisis without telling anyone, plus she really wants to see Tasmania for some reason. Who knew?
What’s Working Now
Created this stupid little “connection jar” – folded papers inside with random conversation starters like “best childhood toy” or “most embarrassing moment in high school.” We pull one whenever things get boring. Sounds cheesy but last night we spent two hours cracking up about her disastrous prom experience.
- Phone-free dinners are now Tues/Thurs ritual
- Actually arguing better (saying “I feel” not “you always”)
- Stopped assuming silence = problems
Biggest surprise? The slump wasn’t about fading feelings – it was about getting lazy with curiosity. Like we forgot to keep poking at what makes each other tick. Still work but damn, feels like we leveled up.
