10 Ways To
Show Affection

Vitaliy and I are sitting at a cozy coffee shop in Portland while I write.

This will be our last post in our Make Marriage Happen series for February: Be Affectionate. We wanted to make it good so we spent the last hour talking through ways we already show affection in our relationship and ways that we could improve. To start our conversation, we did a little research and found that the use of the word “affection” has dramatically decreased at the end of the 19th century. Have our acts of affection decreased as well? Let’s hope not. And if they have, let’s turn things around. One marriage at a time.

Affection: expressing love by doing something selfless.

Here are 10 ways to express affection in your relationship. I hope you find them helpful!

1. Listen, don’t offer advice, just listen.
2. Spontaneously hold hands, touch, scratch their back, squeeze, hug, kiss, caress.
3. Cuddle for no reason and see how perfectly your bodies fit together.
4. Anticipate each others needs and act on them before they ask for help.
5. Volunteer to do the very thing you know the other person loathes.
6. When it comes to making love, do the thing you know they enjoy most.
7. Make yourself attractive for each other, just like you did when you were still dating.
8. Maintain eye contact when talking with each other. Look into those eyes and really see inside.
9. Sit next to each other. Be by each others’ side. A posture of togetherness.
10. Follow with trust. Sometimes the best way to love is through entrusting yourself to another.

Make the first move. If you want affection, show affection. Love without expectation. Be selfless. And make marriage happen!