Intimacy in a relationship is important, be it physical or emotional intimacy. Often, people relate intimacy with just physical activities together. However, it is more than that.
What Is Emotional Intimacy Meaning?
Emotional intimacy in a relationship means to be yourself with your partner which includes sharing your weaknesses and strengths. Achieving emotional intimacy is a great milestone, especially because people are afraid to communicate freely due to fear of being judged.
Similarly, there is nothing better than the feeling of being yourself without the fear of judgement. When your partner can freely express their feelings around you, it shows that you have given them a comfortable space to feel safe.
What Is Physical Intimacy Meaning?
Physical intimacy means being close to your partner physically. It involves hugs, cuddles, kisses, and intercourse. This is a more physical form of intimacy as you start to trust someone with your body.
There is a lot of stigma around intercourse. However, it is okay provided you and your partner are both comfortable, use protective measures, and have mutual consent.
Importance Of Intimacy In A Relationship
In a relationship, intimacy helps to form a deep connection between you and your partner. Intimacy helps to relieve stress in individuals.
On the other hand, people who lack intimacy are more likely to be agitated, unhappy and may feel unfulfilling.
Benefits Of Intimacy
Intimacy has several benefits:
Learning About Each Other
When you and your partner are intimate you are more open. Being open provides you with the opportunity to learn everything about your partner, like what they fear, what they like or dislike etc.
Knowing these things about your partner, helps you understand each other better. And more importantly, it helps to increase bond.
Increases Bond
In an intimate relationship, you and your partner develop a close bond. You feel a strong connection with your partner, this is because you understand each other and provide support and comfort that no other relationship can.
Provides Satisfaction
People tend to feel more satisfied physically and emotionally when they are intimate with their partner. This is because intimate couples often communicate about their needs and wants.
When your partner openly communicates about things they want or need, it makes it easier for you to understand them and fulfil them which makes your partner’s desires fulfilled.
Your partner is less likely to cheat when their needs and wants are fulfilled.
Creates A Safe Space
Intimacy in relationships creates a safe space. Sometimes you find that you desire to hug your partner or be close to them for comfort.
When you are comfortable with your partner, you find peace and a sense of belongingness with them and it helps create a safe space.
Increases Empathy
When you know about each other’s weaknesses and strengths, you are more empathetic towards each other. This is because you understand what your partner may be feeling.
Increases Trust
As mentioned earlier, intimate couples communicate clearly and have a really strong connection. When you communicate openly about your feelings with your partner it helps to build trust.
Increases Emotional Connection
The feeling of comfort around your partner is irreplaceable. When you and your partner have a strong emotional connection, you feel peace around them.
You may have often heard of couples telling each other “You are my home” “I feel comfortable around you” this is because they have a strong emotional connection, hence, they feel comfortable around each other.
Increases Longevity Of The Relationship
When couples are intimate they have a close bond, trust, and open communication due to which they are likely to have a long-lasting relationship.
Provide Security
Couples that have strong communication and talk openly about their problems feel secure in their relationship. This is because they know that they can rely on their partner and that their partner has their back.
Barriers of Intimacy
Often times you may face barriers in intimacy such as:
Communication Barriers
Communication barriers are caused due to several reasons such as trust issues, past traumas, etc. However, you can build trust and communication with your partner over time.
Read about: 11 Ways Of Building Trust In Relationships & Things That Lead To Communication Barriers In Relationships
Time
Sometimes due to busy schedules, it may be difficult to spend quality time with your partner. However, this can easily be worked on by arranging dates and making your partner a priority. In the case where you may not have time, try talking to each other on video chat.
As long as you make an effort to talk to each other, your partner will feel appreciated. And it is a great way to overcome this barrier.
Resentment
Lack of communication is a major cause of resentment. This happens when your partner may have done something that upset you, but you were not able to communicate about it.
This is a common barrier as ego comes in the way of communication. Nevertheless, it can be resolved if you have a mature conversation with your partner. Talk about your problem, what hurts you, and why it hurts you.
Communicating this to your partner will help them to understand how to resolve this problem. Moreover, if it was a misunderstanding, it can be cleared easily.
Long Distance
In a long-distance relationship, people often are scared of being cheated on. However, it doesn’t have to be a barrier. If two people are committed to each other and wish to make the relationship work, they can easily overcome these barriers.
Long-distance relationships are not for the weak. It requires trust, effort, and understanding.
However, one can easily work on these barriers. You can try different ways to initiate intimacy in your relationship.
Intimacy In Marriage
Intimacy in marriage is just as important as intimacy in a relationship. Often people stop putting in effort in a relationship after a few years. However, every relationship needs work; you need to put in effort to keep your partner happy.
You must show your partner that you care for them. It does not have to be grand gestures but you could do little things like a nice head massage, a small surprise etc.
People assume that being married is bland, but it does not have to be the case. There are a lot of couples that live happily and are extremely intimate, as they still put in effort and openly communicate.
Conclusion
Intimacy in relationships is important be it physical or emotional intimacy, It helps in increasing bond in a relationship. There are many benefits of intimacy and many barriers as well. However, you can easily overcome these barriers.
Intimacy ensures that couples have a safe space and it helps them to be comfortable in a relationship. However, one must remember to put in effort and invest time in a relationship as it will help to make their partner feel special.