Dr. George James, Chief Innovation Officer, Featured in Men’s Health: 26 Ideas for a COVID-Friendly Valentine’s Day

January 26, 2021 | Even during the best of times, Valentine’s Day can feel a little…cliché. Or it can bring pressure to plan something your partner will appreciate, if you are, in fact, partnered up. And this year, the fact that we’re all in quarantine amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has added a whole new layer to planning.

But if you’re dating or in a relationship, and Valentine’s Day is something that usually matters to you, try not to let the day slip away. Even if you do modified activities this year, celebrating the holiday can bring a chance to connect.

“In working with couples for the past 19 years, there are a few things I’ve learned are important to help maintain a healthy relationship, [and] one of those lessons is the importance of couple time or date nights,” notes George James, Psy.D., a licensed marriage and family therapist and chief innovation officer at Council for Relationships. “With everything that we’ve had to experience in the past year, some couples have grown closer to each other and other couples have struggled. Making sure you have time to connect can help strengthen the relationship. Just because people are home doesn’t mean they are spending time with each other.”