We live in the age of over-sharing, social media, and ever-changing preferences. You may see others around you, whether in real life or online, easily falling in love or finding themselves in new relationships.
For you, this may not come as easy. Maybe you’ve had difficulty being vulnerable and allowing yourself to enter the intimate space. Maybe you’ve been burned badly before which has caused this struggle.
Being able to reach a level of intimacy with a partner may never happen unless you’re able to pull down the walls you have built up. This may require some personal reflection on what it means to be intimate. Intimacy doesn’t need to be a surface-level, sexually charged interaction. Instead, it can be reaching a level of closeness with your partner.
Here are some tips to help you in your journey.
Be Aware of Your Fears
You may know your issues with intimacy. On the other hand, you may not have an awareness of what holds you back. It’s time to dig a bit deeper and get to know yourself.
What major events have occurred in your past? Who or what are you truly afraid of? Getting to the root cause of your intimacy struggles is key to overcoming them.
Let Yourself Feel
Intimacy, no matter what it means to you, is an important component necessary for relationship growth. Physical intimacy, emotional intimacy, and sexual intimacy all have their times and places to enter the spotlight.
Whenever you feel something, don’t be afraid to act on it. Express your emotions to your partner. Be open about your struggles. This ability to work with your partner can strengthen your bond and help improve your intimacy.
Improve Communication
If you’ve been in a relationship for a while, you may experience a communication breakdown. It’s not unsurprising: you are familiar with each other’s habits, quirks, and personal philosophies. But this familiarity can breed complacency, allowing communication to go by the wayside.
Intentionally open those lines of communication. Create a safe place to share how you feel, what upsets you, and the joys you experience throughout the day. When communication flows freely, emotional connection is strengthened and deepened.
Physical Affection
Physical touch is a powerful way to express love and affection in a relationship. Sex is an important aspect of a relationship, but holding hands, hugging, kissing, and cuddling are all ways to deepen intimacy with your partner as well. Don’t underestimate the importance of small physical gestures of affection in daily life. A touch on the hand, purposefully brushing each other as you pass by, or a quick back scratch conveys love and support in a deeper way than just using words. By making a habit of showing physical affection, physical and emotional intimacy will follow.
Share Your Hopes & Dreams
Building a future with your partner can deepen your intimacy. When was the last time you talked about your hopes, dreams, and aspirations? You can also set goals you’d like to work toward as a couple. When you have shared goals, you become a team — facing the future hand in hand. You can celebrate accomplishments and comfort each other in challenges. With an aligned vision, you strengthen your relationship and deepen your intimacy.
Talk with a Professional
Reading the words on this page and trialing new methods to improve intimacy may sound easy, but it can be difficult to put into practice. If you continue to struggle, that’s completely normal.
The good news is that you don’t have to battle your intimacy issues alone. We are here to help. By consulting us, we can work together to investigate the root cause and create a plan to restore intimacy in your relationship. Contact us today to learn more about our individual or Couples therapy.
Commenti