Many married couples find it difficult to keep the romance alive beyond the first year of marriage. This is especially true for couples that have kids because when kids come into the picture, their needs trump everyone else’s and marriage romance gets put on the back burner.  However, married couples can keep romance alive by actively avoiding these top 5 romance killers.

Self deprecation

It’s okay to not like everything about yourself. It is also okay to talk to your spouse about the things you don’t like about yourself, every once in a while. However, don’t make it a habit. If your spouse says he/she likes you just the way you are, believe him/her. Don’t keep revisiting the issue and seeking reassurance over and over again.

Letting yourself go

For some reason, people tend to let themselves go after marriage. They forget that their physical appearance is one of the main things that attracted their spouses to them. Couples should try to look good for each other, whether or not they are married.

Technology

Technology is one of the biggest killers of marriage romance. Most couples do not realize that they need to set boundaries in their marriage when it comes to technology. They don’t realize how important it is to give each other undivided attention when spending quality time together. A phone call or notification from one of the many social media apps can totally kill the mood for romance or intimacy in marriage if it comes at the wrong time.

Laziness

A good number of people get lazy and stop trying once they are married. They stop doing nice things for their spouses and lose interest in the activities that they used to do together. This leaves the other party feeling cheated.

Routine

If all your romantic activities are scheduled and completely devoid of spontaneity, you’ll soon grow tired of them. For instance, date nights are a great way to keep romance alive in a marriage but they can become pretty boring if they are not at least a little spontaneous. For instance, you may schedule a specific time for date night every week but you don’t have to go to the same restaurant every week. Be spontaneous and try a different restaurant or do something different like stay overnight at a hotel.

If you don’t want to be looking for advice on how to spice up your marriage in your second year of marriage, lookout for and actively avoid these killers of marriage romance.