A lot of people around the world will be celebrating St. Valentine’s Day – synonymous with the celebration of love – this February. Even if you are not accustomed to openly showing your love to your spouse, now is the time to try to make an effort.
However, to ensure that your plans work out to maximum effect, you need to know what makes her tick. By now, you should know her love language. Dr Gary Chapman, famous author of “The Five Love Languages” wrote about the importance of being able to express love to your partner in a way that they can understand. You wouldn’t want to buy some expensive gift for your babe when all she wants is for you to spend quality time with her.
These five Love languages, according to Dr Chapman, are:
- Words of Affirmation: This is when you compliment your spouse; it can be her appearance, her actions or her qualities. It builds your wife’s self-image and confidence.
- Quality Time: Some spouses believe that being together and focusing in on one another is the best way to show love. If this is your partner’s love language, turn off the TV now and then and give one another some undivided attention.
- Gifts: These don’t have to be expensive to send a powerful message of love. Spouses who forget a birthday or anniversary or who never give gifts to someone who truly enjoys gift giving will find themselves with a spouse who feels neglected and unloved.
- Acts of Service: Discovering how you can best do something for your spouse will require time and creativity. These acts of service like vacuuming, planting a garden, etc., need to be done with joy in order to be perceived as a gift of love.
- Physical Touch: Sometimes just stroking your spouse’s back, holding hands or a peck on the cheek will fulfil the need of your spouse to feel loved.
Now, after considering your spouse’s love languages, here are some things that you can do to make her happy:
- Buy a little gift every day on the Valentine’s week: This builds a sense of expectation every day till the D-day. The gift doesn’t have to be expensive. It is the gesture that counts.
- If your babe’s love language is “Acts of Service”, find out what will please her and do it. Every woman has a chore around the house that she does not like doing. Help her to do it without her asking. Remember, it is very important that you do it as a surprise for her.
- Take her on a date. This year’s Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday so you have a great opportunity to spend time out with your partner. If you have kids, plan to have someone to take care of them while you go out.
- Plan a Spa getaway for two. Take this opportunity to plan a spa getaway for the two of you. This is a time to fix those strained muscles. This spa treatment is definitely going to be therapeutic.
- Plan a trip down memory lane. There must be something that reminds you of exciting, good old days. Whether it is going back to the place you first met her or doing something you have not done in years.
- Constantly affirm your love to her every day in the Valentine’s week. Even if you may not be used to doing this, consciously affirm your love to her this week, whether with kisses before you leave for work in the morning or calling her/sending her texts during the day.
- Get her a memorable Valentine’s Gift. Save to get a memorable gift for this Valentine’s Day. Let her remember this Valentine’s Day with blissful memories whenever she sees the gift.
