The ability to express emotions is an important step towards establishing intimacy within a relationship, says Susie Ambrose, founder of elite dating service, Seventy Thirty. Maintain a close connection by opening yourself up to your partner
I is for intimacy
An emotional, intimate bond is a requirement for a quality relationship. It indicates that some individuals are important to us, that they matter, that we have a sense of belonging and that we treat these individuals in a special way. The need for affectionate bonding is a deeply rooted human need; we all desire to connect with other people, but there are sometimes fears holding us back.
Individuals that fear intimacy have superficial relationships and they do not allow themselves to open up. Avoiding intimacy can lead to feelings of loneliness, emptiness and insecurity, resulting in compensating for these feelings with constant flirting and short-lived sexual encounters. Engaging in these relations means receiving immediate short-term confirmations of your value, which further blocks the ability to connect. Sex is good, but intimacy is better. Sex is easy; intimacy is difficult. It requires honesty, openness, self disclosure, confiding concerns and fears, as well as hopes and dreams.
Connecting to another person on an emotional level means allowing that person to get close to you, to reach your inner being, which requires showing vulnerability and tenderness. Emotional bonding is a prerequisite for true love and quality relationships, and is a crucial step towards developing intimacy.
Expressing your emotions instead of repressing them has been found to increase and prolong positive emotions and act as a cushion against negative emotions; hiding emotions does no one any good. Communication, both verbal and non-verbal, is essential in a romantic relationship because you need to have a shared understanding of the meaning inherent in the messages and behaviours you exchange – you must be speaking the same language.
For more information, visit Seventy Thirty
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