Happy Valentine’s Day!! I hope you are enjoying this special holiday! It feels a bit weird to have it fall in the middle of the week this year! As you get ready for your weekend date(s), here are some creative date ideas! I hope some of these are anxiety friendly. I know that for me, going out in public during busy times is usually pretty terrifying. My heart rate gets so high it looks like I just got done at the gym! That’s not exactly romantic, to say the least. Here is a cute list of things you can do with your significant other besides dinner and a movie:

• Library date: pick a book that you love or that you think your s.o. will love. Take the time to talk about it, too. You can get a better understanding of each other and maybe start a new chapter of your relationship (pun emphatically intended!!)
• Geocaching/Pokemon Go: Are you somewhere not covered in snow? Or are you brave enough to risk the frostbite? Take a date on an outdoor scavenger hunt. You can still incorporate technology and let it lead you on an adventure. Who knows where you could end up! Getting there is the fun part!
• Thrift shopping: hit up a huge thrift shop in the area and challenge yourselves to search out the funniest or most random item in the place! Any time spent laughing with each other will not be wasted!
• Try a new recipe: Personally, I’m a TERRIBLE cook. It makes for some interesting times in the kitchen!! Make a day of it. Once you guys find what you want to make, go out and get the ingredients. Then, come home and cook the meal. Work to communicate who does what and be prepared for things to not go quite the way you expect them.
• Fun in the snow: I realize that not everyone is buried up to their knees in snow banks, but for those of you who are a snow date is full of fun. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Feeling playful? Go ahead, build that snow fort! If you have a little cash to spend, head out for a day of tubing or skiing. A hike through the woods is so much different in the winter than in the summer. Don’t forget the hot chocolate!
• Explore your town: hear me out on this one. I live in the middle of nowhere. I grew up with neighbors that consisted of cows and a creek. There is always somewhere to explore! Something that is really fun to do if you are history buffs is to explore the local cemeteries. Find some of the older gravestones and imagine the lives those people must have had. You may even stumble on some interesting names. (Be respectful though!)
• Obstacle course: Make your own obstacle course and have a blast trying to get through it in record time. This can be great if you are not able to go out into the busy world this weekend. Stay inside and let the floor turn to lava once again. Hang up yarn “lasers” across hallways and strategically place pillows as you hop from place to place. Follow it up with your favorite action movie!
• Volunteer: help out with a cause you love with the person you love. Often, you will be in a challenging situation that lets you see how your s.o. reacts under stress.
• Get crafty: if you are both willing, something little like painting rocks or something big like refinishing a thrift shop find gives you a bit of insight into each other and still lets you talk without the pressure of Valentine’s Day. I like doing the rock painting because you can talk without making eye contact or having to worry about using too many hang gestures. Those are little things that can send my anxiety levels sky rocketing, so it’s helpful to have something to do that eliminates the extra stress.
• Build a fort: It’s okay to be playful! Go ahead and build a fort. The possibilities are endless. You could even pack a lunch and picnic in the living room. Break out the play station and take turns picking out favorite games. There’s never a wrong time for Mario!
• Game night: whether it’s the two of you or a group of friends, breaking out the board games is a fun way to spend time together. Plus, you could end up marrying this person one day and you do not want to make that commitment before you see how they handle Monopoly!
• Tell stories: Make up unusual stories to try to make each other laugh or scare each other. This is how the idea for Frankenstein came about! Maybe you will stumble upon an idea for the next classic!
• Break out the photo albums: Share fun moments from growing up. Talk about your crazy aunt or the time a neighbor’s cow gave birth to a two headed calf (that really did happen in my family!). If you have been together for a long time, take the time to go through your old photos together.
• Random acts of kindness: Make the decision to spread the love by setting out to do as many random acts of kindness as you can. Pay for someone else’s coffee, shovel a neighbor’s driveway, or leave anonymous encouragements for the people you encounter. It’s fun to see how many secret things you can do to help out other people and in the process you get to spend the day together. Everybody wins!

What’s your favorite date you and your s.o. have been on? I would encourage you to make a list of the ones you want to try so when the time comes you aren’t scouring the internet looking for something to do.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Tina