In order to maintain a relationship, it is very important that there be joy, laughter, and liveliness between you.

Falling in love, or even having a new flirt in your life, can bring you incredible joy and make you fly in your own bubble. At this stage, it makes sense to constantly have an inexplicable smile on your face and feel butterflies in your stomach. However, this feeling, which is due more to excitement than to real love and romance, over time—willingly or not—begins to fade and turn into a baseline of satisfaction.

Although this change is certainly not negative at all, as true intimacy develops in the later stages of a relationship, it is very important to make a mutual effort to maintain as much as possible of that beautiful energy that was there when you first met. This is often the key to maintaining a strong, lasting relationship.

In addition to cultivating closeness and a deeper sense of intimacy, experts say that laughter and excitement in a relationship build a couple’s resilience by giving them something positive to look back on, which allows them to get through difficult times.

There are many ways to liven up your relationship with your partner and renew yourself as a couple, as long as you have an appetite for effort and a lot of love! Below, you will find 6 ways to bring back the excitement in your relationship and remember the old days!

1. Commit to a recurring habit that makes you happy

Find something that both of you equally like and that makes you happy. Remember how good you felt and how much you laughed doing this activity together, and put it on the schedule!

Whether it’s a comedy show, a walk by the sea, or exercise—anything that bonds you and makes you enjoy each other’s company more than ever—make it part of your weekly or monthly schedule.

2. Don’t force each other to enjoy the same things

Sure, you can suggest that your partner join your afternoon yoga class or watch your favorite series with you, but if you know they hate something you like, don’t force them to follow along; go ahead and enjoy those moments alone.

Don’t forget that it is very important not to be on top of each other 24 hours a day, but that everyone enjoys their own interests. This is something that will liven up your relationship and make you miss each other more.

3. Talk freely and openly

Apart from the fact that lack of communication is the most common and root cause of many problems in relationships, it is also something that steals the joy from couples, making both of them feel distressed and disappointed. There shouldn’t be anything that goes around in your mind that you don’t tell your partner, because communication and intimacy are the keys to being truly happy.

And that’s not just about the things you might be afraid of or find hard to say, but also about the pleasant things, like telling them how much you love them and how happy you are that they are in your life. Always remember that we are not mind readers and many people do not pick up on subtle hints that seem obvious to another person.

4. Organize your next trip together

I understand that you might be the organizer in this relationship and want to take it all on yourself when it comes to traveling somewhere, but that takes away a lot of the joy you could be sharing.

Planning an exciting summer trip with your partner is a way to share your joy and excitement. From booking the hotel where you will stay and the air tickets to choosing which beaches to visit, this joy and anticipation of travel will bring you closer and enhance your happiness.

5. Find opportunities to goof around

If laughter is the height of joy, stupidity is the surest route there. That’s why you’re free to be silly more often!

From doing a funny dance performance to saying the most stupid thing you can think of, this will automatically bring a lot of laughter and make your partner fall in love with you again and again.

6. To liven up your relationship, be a kid again

There’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned pillow fight! This alone can make you forget anything that may have bothered you the day before and make you feel like a kid again. Kind of like reliving your teenage and innocent love!

Many times we need to bring out our fun and innocent selves, since this is an infallible recipe for laughter and joy in any kind of relationship.