Intimacy is the most necessary component of keeping a relationship strong and loving. But as time goes on, it can be easy to forget to keep the intimacy alive. Without intimacy and a conscious effort to connect, a relationship can easily become strained, and both partners may find themselves drifting apart.
Intimacy not only keeps your bond strong but also contributes to your mental health and overall well-being. We crave connection and the feeling of love, so when intimacy is lacking, our mental well-being may decrease.
But fret not. There are many ways to bring back intimacy to keep your relationship strong. Here are some tips to increase intimacy to keep the spark alive in your relationship.
Contact Each Other Throughout The Day
Most couples get in the habit of only briefly seeing each other before work and at the end of the day. Unfortunately, this leaves very little time to connect throughout the day, as couples are often barely awake in the morning and too burned out to connect in the evening.
Thankfully, technology has made connecting throughout the day much easier. You don’t need to make long phone calls to your partner, and you certainly don’t want to do anything that would get them in trouble at work. But frequent texting, quick calls during breaks, or facetime chats can keep your connection going and intimacy alive.
Schedule Sex
Scheduling sex doesn’t always sound very romantic, but it is a great way to maintain intimacy in your relationship. Between parenting, careers, busy schedules, and juggling responsibilities, it can be easy to skip sex due to exhaustion and fatigue. But by doing this, you may end up in a rut where you don’t have sex for weeks or months on end.
Scheduling sex ensures that this part of your relationship stays alive. Waiting until you feel passionate may mean you wait so long that it hurts your relationship. Scheduling sex shows that the two of you care about this part of your relationship and will put in the effort and time to keep it alive.
Don’t Forget About Non-sexual Touch
Many couples forget the importance of non-sexual touch. It is one of our most important senses and helps create and strengthen bonds. It is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to show a sense of intimacy and love without doing anything too passionate. Even a simple peck on the cheek or holding your partner’s hands can strengthen a bond and instantly create intimacy.
Try Something New
It’s easy to get stuck in a routine after being with the same person for years. You may have certain activities that bring you comfort, such as watching television together every night.
But the best way to keep your relationship fun and interesting is by spicing it up with new activities. Try going on a three-day weekend vacation together or taking a hike at a nearby park. You can also try a new hobby that neither of you has experience with, or you can simply go to a different restaurant for dinner.
This isn’t limited to just hobbies and weekend activities. Try new stuff in the bedroom as well to keep the relationship fun and exciting.
Or Retry An Activity From The Old Days
If you don’t like experimenting, try doing an activity that the two of you loved when you first started dating. Was there a place that you went to on one of your first dates that you wish to revisit? Did you two play a game to develop your connection? Or was there a hobby you two enjoyed together but have not made time for recently? By going back to one of these places or activities, you bring back old memories of when you first fell in love, which will help bring back the intimacy and deep feelings as well.
Change Up Your Conversation
Couples can get in the habit of just talking about the same topics every day, such as work, the kids, and current events. Though these are important topics, since they take up so much of your daily life, this can make the conversation stale after months or years.
Change up your conversation by bringing in new subjects. Ask your partner their thoughts about a particular topic or tell them a story you never shared with them before. Or, instead of talking about something new, the two of you can reminisce over old memories, especially from when you first fell in love.
Express Gratitude And Appreciation
Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to show love to your partner. After spending months or years with them, it can be easy to take them for granted. Chances are that your partner does a lot for you throughout the day, whether you notice it or not. Showing gratitude is a great way to express your love and intimacy for them.
You can express gratitude verbally by thanking them or telling them what a great job they did with a chore or an achievement at work. However, you can also buy them gifts, such as flowers or chocolate to show them how much you care. Get creative with expressing your love and gratitude, and the act will surely create more intimacy.
