Like so many married couples, we got into the routine of watching a TV show or movie together every night after we put our daughter to bed. We had so little energy left in the tank every night that sitting next to each other enjoying some entertainment felt like the natural thing to do. The problem with this routine wasn’t obvious at first but over time we felt distant and less connected. Not only were we getting robbed of high quality time together, we also would wake up feeling less rested because of the decision to watch a screen before bed and stay up way too late trying to cram in “just one more episode”. It was a viscous cycle and we hit a point about 9 months ago when we decided to make a change. It was honestly really hard at first and we didn’t realize how much of a habit our end of the day TV time had become until we tried to stop. After the first few weeks it began to feel easier and we started to look forward to our evenings together and saw our emotional intimacy grow as we started to invest in distraction free quality time together. Our love tanks felt full for the first time after becoming parents and we realized how much we truly missed each other when we were filling our nights with screen time. Daniel and I still watch TV and movies from time to time but we save it for the weekends or plan ahead so that we can savor it more like a date night than a default. I don’t share this to shame anyone or make you feel like you can’t watch TV and movies with your spouse. I say all of this because I know what it feels like to be sucked into the draining routine of never truly feeling rested or like you’re getting high quality time with your spouse. This small shift changed our relationship and I hope it encourages you to make the small choices necessary to care for yourself and your spouse so that you can both show up the way you want to. 🤍 Our 30 day marriage challenge bloomed out of all the things we started to implement as we shifted the way we spend our time together. Download your free copy by clicking the link in our bio. 🫶🏻 #marriagetips #marriageadvice #beating50percent #healthymarriage #marriagematters