You want to be close to them, closer than anyone else has ever been. You want them to touch and embrace you when you are feeling happy or sad. You want to share your darkest secrets with them, and you want them to know all your quirky habits, and still love you.
Such intimate feelings are unique, and you may feel that way with only one person. Intimacy is essential in a relationship. But it is more than just physical. Does this mean you can feel intimate with each other even outside the bedroom?Read this post to know more about intimacy in a relationship, and the different ways you can be intimate with your partner.
* Emotional intimacyThis form of intimacy makes everything better. Becoming emotionally intimate in a relationship is to know, accept, and love each other’s real selves. When you know that partner truly loves you, then you will feel safe and comfortable in opening up to them. And when you openly share your feelings, dreams, and desires, you will know each other better, and that is the beginning of a beautiful, long-term relationship.Developing an emotional connection with your partner sure does take time, but it is quite easy and enjoyable. The first step to becoming emotionally connected to your partner is spending time with them and talking about each other’s likes, wants, and desires.Partners must be honest and open to be emotionally intimate. When they connect emotionally, they will respect, trust, and stand for each other, which in turn will have a positive impact on their sex life.
* Physical intimacyThis form of intimacy is potent. It is perhaps the most intimate way to express your love for your partner. Physical intimacy is not just about sex. It could also be hugging, kissing, or just touching your partner’s face in a moment of emotional intimacy. Touch plays a major role in decreasing cortisol and increasing oxytocin levels under stressful conditions.Great sex life is equally vital in a long-term relationship; emotional and physical intimacies are interdependent. Also, both of these work differently in men and women and may vary from person to person.Some require physical intimate before they develop trust and open up, whereas some others need to be emotionally connected before getting physically close. So, to strike a balance, a couple should first understand each other’s love language. Gestures like hand-holding, kissing, or simply cuddling could help create fantastic chemistry between the partners.
* Intellectual intimacyWhat does intellect have to do with intimacy? Plenty, we’d say.This form of intimacy is important if a couple is looking forward to a serious relationship. Intellectual intimacy lets you and your partner be on the same page when it comes to taking major decisions in life and raising kids with the right values.Intellectual intimacy also helps you connect beyond the physical and emotional levels, exchange knowledge, and pick up a few good qualities from each other. This intimacy not only makes the relationship stronger but also helps the couple to become better individuals.To develop intellectual intimacy, the couple needs to connect with intellectually, via discussions, debates, or conversations about topics they are both interested in. Honest discussions about issues related to the environment, politics, society, books, and the world in general, while being receptive to their partner’s views and ideas, can be a great way to build intellectual intimacy.Any meaningful conversation between the couple can help develop intellectual intimacy, which may also help the couple develop mutual respect towards each other.
* Recreational intimacyThis level of intimacy is developed by doing things you love, together. It could be going to an exotic place, playing a sport you like, exploring new places, or just walking on the beach holding hands. Recreational intimacy will teach you to do things together as a team. You will realize that whenever there is a problem, it is you two against the problem and not against each other.To develop recreational intimacy, you can choose activities such as playing sports, taking up a hobby, or going on a vacation. Such activities will boost your physical and mental health, which are essential to strengthen your relationship. You can also take up a fitness regimen and motivate each other to adhere to it. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are getting to know each other, and most importantly, having fun.
* Financial intimacyIs that even a thing? Well yes, and not a lot of people pay attention to it or know how to relate to this type of intimacy. However, in a strong, long-term relationship, financial intimacy is important as it takes money to achieve some of the materialistic goals. Financial intimacy means that both you and your partner are committed to a common cause and agree to work for it collectively.The first step towards financial intimacy is being transparent with each other’s finances. If both the partners are willing to share how much they are spending and saving, it means you have nothing to hide. Once this intimacy is established, the couple can then discuss and have a long term goal, such as buying a house or securing the kids’ future.