Emotional Intimacy Can Support Your Well-Being Especially During Isolation!

This is an unprecedented time in history. You are staying physically distant from others, facing changes to daily routines and responsibilities, and continuing to navigate new and changing stresses. Feelings of frustration, fear, sadness, isolation, loneliness, and exhaustion are being reported more widely and, for some of you, those feelings continue to increase over time. All of these feelings can move you away from emotional intimacy and create a cycle of isolation and sadness.

Many of you probably have a tendency to focus on eliminating the thing that’s causing the stress. We get it! You hope that it will alleviate the uncomfortable feelings and the drain on your energy. When the stressors are out of your control and you don’t have a stressor expiration date to look forward to, it can be incredibly difficult to keep hanging in there and attempting to show up in the world as your best selves. So, what if you could stop focusing on all the stressors that need tackling and instead focus on cultivating something that could help sustain you? You can, and that thing is emotional intimacy. 

Emotional intimacy is an essential ingredient in your life because as a human being you need love and connection to thrive. 

You’ll know that emotional intimacy is present when you can share your thoughts and feelings, and feel secure and supported doing so, in your relationship. The good news is you probably already have a few relationships in your life where you experience some level of emotional intimacy!  Regardless of whether you’re in a romantic relationship or not, deepening the level of emotional intimacy can help sustain you by alleviating some of the negative side effects of stress, boosting your overall health and well-being. Especially useful for right now: Emotional intimacy can give you a sense of closeness with someone, even when you’re physically apart. In romantic relationships, increasing emotional intimacy can lead to increased physical intimacy and more pleasurable sex (another benefit!).

Here are a few key steps to foster deeper emotional intimacy in your relationships:

1. Create a safe environment for sharing thoughts and feelings. This means choosing a safe person and being a safe person to build emotional intimacy with. Aim to create an environment that is centered on mutual respect, belief in one another, and is free from the threat of criticism, rejection or abandonment, using what is shared to manipulate or exploit the other, and violence. 
2. Develop a deeper level of friendship and commitment in your relationship. This means being aware of and caring for yourself, practicing seeing yourself and the relationship through each other’s eyes, committing to caring for each other’s genuine well-being, communicating personal needs and limitations without blame, asking for support without expectation, respecting the needs, values, and boundaries of each other, investing time and attention, and encouraging growth of each other and the relationship. 
3. Practice being vulnerable to increase emotional connection and trust. This means taking steps to let down defenses and share personal thoughts and feelings, and meaningful experiences with one another. This practice, of being vulnerable, is where trust and a secure emotional bond develop. It’s important to start slow and pay attention to your level of comfort in this process. There is no “right speed” here. (Side note: It’s important to call out that there are many different challenges to being vulnerable, like societal gender norms and expectations, old relationship wounds, or past traumas. If you find yourself struggling with being vulnerable in relationships, know that this is hard for many people, there is nothing wrong with you, and we can help. Therapy can offer a safe place to explore some of the barriers to being vulnerable in relationships.)

Now more than ever, so many of you are struggling with feeling anxious, isolated, frustrated, sad, and exhausted from facing the challenges of life during this unique time in our history. 

While you know that emotional intimacy is an essential ingredient in relationships, you might not have known just how helpful it could be to focus on cultivating it at this point in time. 

Experiencing the feeling of security and support in your relationships that comes from emotional intimacy can offer a reprieve from the sense of instability and isolation offered by many current avenues of life. It can also offer important benefits to your overall health and well-being, not to mention your sex life if you and your partner(s) are interested in exploring that. 

By focusing on cultivating deeper emotional intimacy in not only romantic relationships, but also friendships and family connections, you can focus on building a system of support into your life that might help sustain your sense of connection and well-being over time rather than focusing on knocking out that exhausting list of stressors. Cultivating emotional intimacy in relationships might not always be easy work, but it is well worth the investment. 

Remember to start small, create an environment of safety and respect, commit to caring about each other’s genuine well-being, build a meaningful friendship with each other, and be patient with barriers to being vulnerable. If you want support along the way, we’ve got your back. 

Ready to set up an appointment to explore ways that you can cultivate deeper emotional intimacy in your relationships? 

By Amanda McGovern

Ready to Start Therapy to Help Increase Emotional Intimacy in Florida?

Beginning the journey to your best self is easier than most of the things we’re all doing right now! Trauma therapy does not have to wait. You can get the mental health support you need with a skilled therapist in St. Pete or with online therapy in Florida. To begin, just follow these simple steps:

1. Contact us to request an appointment
2. Meet with one of our experienced therapists.
3. Get support & begin your journey toward mental wellness & connection today!

Other Mental Health and Wellness Services at ME-Therapy

At ME-Therapy, we believe in the importance of mental, emotional & physical wellbeing. Our therapists want to help your mind but also want to feed your soul. This means we take a holistic approach to mental health. In order to do this, we offer a wide range of mental health services in our St. Petersburg office and online including therapy for women, therapy for men, trauma therapy, therapy for anxiety, art therapy, and holistic, spiritual therapy. For couples and relationships, we want you to know that our relationship therapists are here for you ALL. In addition to marriage counseling, we provide sex therapy, affair recovery counseling, and poly-friendly kink aware therapy.