6 Steps to Improving Emotional Intimacy with Your Partner

Emotional intimacy is so very important for our individual wellbeing as well as the health of our relationship. Stressors, change, schedules, physical distance, mental preoccupation, the ebb and flow of life … so many things can lead to our waking up one morning and feeling distant from our intimate other. If we think of intimacy as a degree of special connection, we realize that even “good” things happening in our lives can lead to decreased intimacy. After all, often “good” changes or personal achievements also include deep investments in activities that don’t necessarily include our partners, like a promotion at work or helping a friend through a tough time. If you have the feeling that you and your partner could use an intimacy boost, here are six great ideas for revving up a connection that needs renewal or is just due for some TLC. 1. Make time to do something meaningful to both of you, together. Sure, date night is important. But if it’s a ritualistic event in which you go out and sit across from each other in a booth checking email on your phone or discussing the latest outrageous thing your 13-year-old tried to get away with at school, you’re not deepening your connection. Connection-deepening activities are ones that get you focused on each other as people — and on your relationship. Take a scenic drive to get an ice cream, clean the tub together, or take a cooking class. Hashing out the usual stressors in a nicer setting like a restaura...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Communication Marriage and Divorce Relationships Self-Esteem Self-Help Dating Emotional Intimacy Source Type: blogs