Make it a summer of love...

Feeling stuck in a rut? Discover eight simple, honest and surprisingly candid ways to rekindle the romance and relight that fire, however long you've been together

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As we settle into our routines, romance can sometimes fade into the background. Whether you're 25 or 75, if you're in a long-term relationship things can start to get, well, a little familiar, to put it kindly. But especially when you have been together a long time, or if you're facing significant life changes, be they hormone-related, due to illness, or other issues, you may find your relationship starts to suffer.

'When we live with people and have been with them for a long time, there is a lot of repetition in the things that we do and the structure that we have at the timetables in our lives, and if it doesn’t breed contempt, then it can certainly breed a bit of disillusionment,' reflects Susie Masterson, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy registered relationship therapist and coach. 'It can take the shine off our relationship.

'Also, when we're older, and have health issues or go through life changes, we may not feel comfortable in our own skin for whatever reason, and it can be very difficult to feel sexy and to feel desirable.' One of the most common ways that women in particular express frustration is when they see their partner as taking them for granted. This might be as a result of raising a family together, when chores and responsibilities were assigned in a certain way, or if you were both working full time and rushed off your feet.

But if you now find yourself in a stage of life where you feel the situation has changed but your relationship hasn’t, or you feel that your expectations aren’t keeping up with each other, it might be time to think again.

Alternatively, you could be feeling that bedroom antics have become somewhat predictable, or even fallen out of favour altogether.