How to rekindle your love life: schedule time for sex and talk to your partner about their needs and your own, sexologist advises

How's your romantic life? Is it thriving? Is it dwindling? Or is it non-existent? When I posed this question to my acquaintances, I received a variety of responses. The general consensus was that their romantic life was not as fulfilling as they desired. They all seemed somewhat defensive about this. However, they need not have been. It's quite common for people's romantic lives to be less thrilling, less frequent, or less satisfying than they'd prefer. And fluctuations in desire are entirely normal.

Mary Foxworth, a sexologist based in Hong Kong, suggests that there are numerous reasons for this. One major factor is life itself. Life often interferes with our romantic lives. She has observed a clear pattern among many of her clients, which indicates a correlation between work-related stress and libido. We tend to overwork ourselves. We become exhausted, we're under pressure, and then there's the added stress of the pandemic. All these factors can negatively impact our romantic lives.

Foxworth is no stranger to the fast-paced lifestyle. She holds degrees in law and political science, as well as a master's degree in social science in criminology. She has spent six years in corporate banking in Hong Kong and has also worked for The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Bangkok as part of its criminal justice team. However, it's not just the workload that can hinder our romantic lives. Even our constant engagement with our phones can dampen the mood. To engage romantically, one needs to feel relaxed and desired. But these feelings can be elusive if you're preoccupied with checking emails or if your partner is engrossed in their phone. Phones can be detrimental at bedtime for a multitude of reasons, one of which is that they can ruin the mood for romance.