What Is Intimacy? Learn More About Intimacy In A Relationship
It happens that I came across the notion of intimacy, and I can say that it has interesting connotations, and in general, intimacy can be explained as something closely familiar or simply being close. What’s more, intimacy might be related to sex, which is another common meaning behind the word intimacy. Yet the scope of the intimacy is quite impressive, and it might be considered in different manners.
You might have heard about different types of intimacy, ranging from physical intimacy to experiential intimacy. And intimacy isn’t always about emotional closeness. So, if you’re interested in discovering more about intimacy and what it can offer, you better follow this article exploring the idea of intimacy.
Types of intimacy
When thinking of intimacy or intimate relationship, it happens to think about physical intimacy. Interestingly, intimacy might be the case without physical closeness, which makes this notion even more interesting to discover. It’s time to consider the types of intimacy that you should be aware of.
Physical intimacy
In general, it’s about sexual intimacy, when two people become attached to each other physically. Such intimacy involves sex and everything related to it. It’s common that intimate relationships will entail physical closeness, from hugging to sex.
Emotional intimacy
No doubt that physical intimacy can lead to emotional intimacy. But what makes emotional intimacy different from physical one? Simply put, it’s all about emotions and trust. When having meaningful connections with someone, people tend to get attached. It happens that emotional intimacy can lead to physical intimacy. As you might have guessed, these types of intimacy are interrelated. So, when maintaining intimacy, both emotional and physical attachments matter.
Spiritual intimacy
The more romantic relationships get stronger, the more types of intimacy can be observed. And one of them is spiritual intimacy. Intimacy plays an important role in consolidating bonds with others. When people start sharing common values and beliefs, they develop this type of intimacy, which is among a few key factors in making relationships stronger. Spiritual intimacy is also about being open about your faith and values while being ready and supportive to accept others’ values and beliefs.
Intellectual intimacy
If you increase emotional intimacy, you can develop spiritual intimacy as well, but that’s not all. There’s also a case of intellectual intimacy that’s completely different, and this is about sharing thoughts and ideas with each other. When in a relationship, you might want to talk about your favorite book, movie, or story, and this is an example of how you can develop intellectual intimacy.
Experiential intimacy
When building intimacy, a couple might share common experiences. You can travel to different places, spend time together, participate in different activities, cook together, etc. Relationship intimacy is what leads to common things, from physical contact to common hobbies. This is what is referred to as experiential intimacy.
Why is it great to consider creating intimacy?
A weekly date night is a good example of experiential intimacy, while emotional connection during this date can lead to physical affection. As you see, intimacy types might overlap, as it can be hard to highlight one particular. But why develop and build intimacy with others? Well, there are many great benefits of creating intimacy. Let’s uncover some popular ones.
Healthy relationship
Are you have an emotionally intimate type? Intimacy in your relationship can be an important factor in making your relationship stronger. A couple’s intimacy has always been an important aspect of a relationship. In a good relationship, you can easily observe almost all types of intimacy, from mental intimacy to physical intimacy.
A couple’s intimacy will get stronger with time and dedication, and physical attachment will make emotional intimacy much stronger. It means more attachment in a relationship. Thus, the first benefit of intimacy is the possible success of your relationships.
Better sex life
It’s no secret that dull sex life is among the main factors making relationships or marriages fade and get weaker, leading to break-ups and divorces. And the reason behind this is the problem with developing or maintaining intimacy between each other.
Thus, building intimacy is important in a relationship. The more intimacy is in a relationship; the more solid bonds can be. If you want to avoid break-ups or divorces, it’s high time to develop all other intimacy types. Make sure that your partner is emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically attached to you.
Better mental health
Sex is an inevitable part of any great relationship. The more sex you have, the healthier you can get. And this isn’t only about physical health. Overall, intimacy is said to have many effects on a person’s body, and the brain is one of them.
It means you’ll get better mentally. But what does it mean? Mental health is about emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Mental health is something that dictates our emotions, decisions, and behavior.
Tips on building intimacy in your relationship
If you’re looking forward to creating solid bonds, you should think of creating intimacy with others. The process is about creating intimacy levels. If you wonder how you can achieve intimacy levels with your partner, you should know more about the following tips.
Try to boost your physical intimacy
Sex, sex, and sex. These are 3 important factors in making physical attachment stronger. It’s no secret that sex is a strong factor, and it happens that sex can lead to something more than physical contact. So, a good relationship, a romantic one, is based on sex.
Develop emotional intimacy
Emotional intimacy is one of the important factors when someone develops a relationship. Emotional intimacy might take some time, but it’s worth persevering. Showing your emotions, sending good messages, being romantic, and many other things can make your partner emotionally attached to you.
Have experiential intimacy
If things don’t work, why not have a trip? When things get complicated, it’s time to develop deeper experiential intimacy with your partner. Having something in common and doing something together will be a great experience that will affect intimacy levels.
What makes developing intimacy hard?
Let’s confess. It’s not always easy to develop intimacy, and I can say that there are many challenges that a person can face. And of course, one of the main problems is that the interests and expectations of people are quite different and not mutual. But that’s not all the challenges.
Conflicting couple
There are many negative feelings that can lead to conflict within a couple. For example, anger or resentment is detrimental in a relationship. It can be challenging to develop intimacy levels in a relationship where a conflict prevails.
Stress
The modern world is developing, but at the same time, people are exposed to more stress factors nowadays, and work, illness, or other things might have a negative impact on a person, which can cause problems in developing intimacy in a relationship or marriage.
Problems with communication
It’s not always easy to open up and express your opinions and feelings. Listening to your partner might be an effective way of overcoming communication problems, but it happens that people might have problems being understood. This, in turn, will delay the development of intimacy.
Fear of intimacy
Fear has many roots, and one of the main problems of fear is that it can prevent things from getting better. And the fear of intimacy is one of the main factors why people fail to get closer to each other in relationships.
Final thoughts
If you want to be successful in your relationship, try to develop all types of intimacy to ensure better results. A simple good conversation, a hug, or having tea together can change a lot. So, make sure you make your partner attached to you at all levels.