Our social lives may be dead but that doesn’t mean that romance has to be. More than ever, lockdown is proving a great opportunity to tell those we care about what they mean to us, and while children, elderly relatives, and immediate family are often at the forefront of our minds during lockdown, it’s also a great time to show your special someone that you love them while you’re apart.
Phone sex
Don’t be shy, everyone does it. Well maybe not everyone, but more and more people are getting involved (hopefully just with one other person at a time) while lockdown is preventing the real thing. Here’s some advice on how to have phone sex without cringing to help you get things off the ground.
Love letters straight from the heart
One of the oldest love tokens of all time is the humble love letter and yet many couples rarely catch a glimpse of their partner’s hand writing. Go old school and put pen to paper (if you can even remember how to) and let them know you miss them, can’t wait to see them, and how much they mean to you.
Mix tapes
Another golden oldie is the time honoured tradition of making someone you love a mix tape. Gone are the days of TDKs and 90 minute Maxell tapes but a Spotify playlist from the comfort of your phone makes a great romantic alternative. Choose songs that remind you of boss nights out together, that remind you of them, or that send a special message.
Choose your favourite photos
Don’t keep your favourite memories hidden in your camera roll – pick out your favourite (and appropriate for public consumption) couple pics and upload them to Instagram or Facebook with a nice (hopefully non-cringey) caption. Or, if you’d rather keep your best moments between the two of you, use a free prints app to send them a photo book as a surprise present.
Send them something that smells of you
It’s not as creepy as it sounds, honestly. Research suggests that the sense of smell is our strongest link to memory (more than photographs or hearing a sentimental song). Sending an item of clothing will remind them of ‘your smell’ – usually a combination of our usual washing powder, cosmetic scents like our regular shampoo and deodorant, and our own body scent made up of pheromones and other individual signatures.
Don’t send something you can’t live without, because you don’t know when you’ll be getting it back, but something that’ll easily fit through a letterbox like a vest or thin top (not knickers, don’t be that person). Please don’t use post office counters or even pillar boxes unless you have to and are going out anyway (remember only leave your house for essential trips).
Before long you’ll both have the real thing and will be able to smell each other (in the nicest way possible) in each other’s arms.
Bella’s not like other mums – she’s a cool mum. If by ‘cool’ you mean addicted to carbs and dirty stories, with a special talent for doing the school run with yesterday’s knickers hanging out of the leg of her leopard print leggings. Writing about everything from taping your tits up with pot noodle lids, gag reflexes and how many people have stuck fingers up her bum (purely for professional reasons) she also has a cultured side: get on her for history, entertainment and social issues.
