Kate

“Research shows that play is the mental state in which we learn best, and that play is essential for our mental health. When you attempt a new and challenging activity together in a space where success doesn’t matter, you can both let go and learn.”
― Jay Shetty, 8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go

“One trick George and I have implemented to deflate any escalating argument is having a safe word or phrase to instantly add some levity. For us, it’s “simple as this.” It’s a ridiculous line from an adult film—that we never watched, I swear!—”
― Author Maria Avgitidis, Ask a Matchmaker: Matchmaker Maria's No-Nonsense Guide to Finding Love

“Seek out adventures that aren’t in either of your areas of expertise. You don’t want to attempt a sport where one of you has a natural advantage or to play a game that one of you has played for years. To build intimacy, you want to both be novices so that you feel inexperienced and curious together. You both feel similarly uncomfortable. You’re both going to learn something new. You’re going to need and rely on each other. A challenging hike, a visit to a haunted house, spelunking, roller skating, or (my favorite) an escape room. Intimacy builds as you expose yourselves to each other in a vulnerable moment. Once Radhi and I went to a paint room where they had easels, canvases, brushes, and paints. We were given overalls to wear, and they let us go crazy. It was new and liberating to spray paint wherever we wanted and to create without worrying about the end product.”
― Jay Shetty, 8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go

“Someone who receives the girlfriend experience gets to avoid the emotional duty, compromise, and general responsibility of a relationship …”
― Author Maria Avgitidis, Ask a Matchmaker: Matchmaker Maria's No-Nonsense Guide to Finding Love