“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” ~ Helen Keller
Creating intimacy between you and another person can be scary, even dangerous at times — but most everyone wants it; to not be alone as you journey through life. There are risks involved with intimacy — you could feel hurt or embarrassed.
The good news is that you can learn how to cultivate intimacy in ways that fulfill both you and your partner.
To begin, you must realize that you are responsible for you. Too often, people wait for their spouse to make the first move, to initiate the conversation, to walk over and offer the hug or shoulder to cry on. The problem with this strategy is that you have no control over someone else’s actions. All you can control is you.
1. Focus Your Attention
Intimacy begins with the simple things. Notice your partner, listen to them, and offer thanks when they help out in your world. Relationships struggle when one partner says things like, “You haven’t heard a thing I’ve said for the last five years” or “You have no idea how hard I work.” Long before you reach this point, take preventative action with the gift of attention.
2. Take Care of Yourself
Many people go into relationships looking for a way to be happy, complete, and whole. It’s the same mindset as believing that your spouse’s strengths will offset your weaknesses, and vice versa. There’s nothing wrong with believing this, in theory; the problem is that reality is often different than theory. What if you approach your relationship another way? Be happy, complete, and whole — and then have a relationship.
Depending on another human for your happiness sets yourself up for disappointment. Humans change, leave, do things we don’t understand. And they do these things without our consent. Depending on things outside yourself for happiness and wholeness is giving up control over your own life.
A word of caution here:
Growing stronger and learning to achieve happiness on your own can be hazardous to your relationship. As you grow, it puts pressure on your partner to do the same. And sometimes partners are threatened by this growth, so they resist the changes or run.
This is sometimes seen in the graduate school world. While the current divorce rate remains around the 45 to 50 percent range, in marriages where one spouse is in graduate school, the divorce rate increases. The reason? One partner is changing and growing, and the other may be threatened by the change.
We meet and fall in love with people who are about as mentally healthy (or unhealthy) as ourselves. Like attracts like. So as one of you grows and evolves, it’s important that the other partner grow as well for your relationship to survive. I’ve written more on this idea here.
3. Share Yourself
Be open with your spouse. Share how you view the world, what you think, how you feel. Talk about the significant things in your life right now. Reveal your worries, your fears, your concerns. I’m not saying you must share every deep secret in your life with your spouse, but let them in a little.
An unwillingness to share yourself with your spouse works against the goal of intimacy.
4. Throw Away the Score Card
Couples in conflict frequently keep mental score cards. They keep track of every unkind word, selfish act, and thoughtless gesture made by their spouse. In essence, they catalog every one of their spouse’s sins of commission and omission going back over decades. This leads to the obsession of having to get even.
In relationships where you feel you must get even, intimacy will be non-existent — guaranteed.
However, when you freely give to your spouse and allow them to be themselves, you’ll likely experience the intimacy you desire. This doesn’t mean becoming a doormat for others, or letting them take advantage of you. But when you release resentments and take an initiative to resolve things between you, you’ll often see the payoff of increased intimacy.
Shameless plug warning: If you’d like some help with any of this, I’d be happy to help.
What are ways you and your spouse proactively cultivate intimacy in your relationship?
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Ok, this is the last site I’m going to comment on and then I must go to bed
I agree with all of the steps listed here. The last three ring especially true to me. The first couple years of my marriage were the hardest as my husband and I worked to become a team. Of course, at the time we didn’t know that’s what we were doing, we thought we just were meant to fight all the time and never get along! Luckily, that has all changed. Somewhere along the way we learned to accept each other as we were and, at the same time, to compromise ourselves just enough to show we cared what the other thought. We know that when we take care of ourselves, we take care of eachother and our kids better. We stopped “keeping score” all the time, and we just started being more kind to eachother. Along with keeping the lines of communication open all the time, we have made our marriage so much stronger than when it started.
Post-Modern Jen´s last blog ..The New Mom-me: Parlez Vous Aprons?
Very interesting statistic about graduate school! However, I agree. . .it’s only when we’re happy with ourselves that we can really contribute to a marriage.
Amy Reads Good Books´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesday
Well !! it’s not for us… let us go to sleep…
Oh, I love this post and can so relate to it.. I love the part of being whole and complete first and then, looking for a relationship. Thank you so much for sharing this. Just shows how much of a difference simple things can make.
prerna´s last blog ..Being a Woman: Celebrating Karva Chauth
Great post! My husband and I do little things for each other but one regular is that every night, almost without fail, I get a foot rub. It’s our time to sit and relax and enjoy each other and it really makes a difference – I think it helps keep us close.
Tabitha (From Single to Married)´s last blog ..Taps and Thumps and Kicks, Oh My!
Thank you for this thought-provoking post. Certainly food for thought.
Aidan Donnelley Rowley´s last blog ..The Chase
Great post here! These are such good reminders, especially as moms we need to remember to focus on our husbands! I wrote a post yesterday about creating an “I Love My Husband” book. I hope it’s ok to share here: http://angelamills.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/the-i-love-my-husband-book/
Angela Mills´s last blog ..Tea for Two: The discipleship of your sons and daughters
here’s a comment on marriage that i left over at http://www.praiseandcoffee.blogspot.com:
“The Lord placed on my heart many yrs ago that when I am frustrated at my husband for ANY reason at all (even if it seems to be ENTIRELY his fault) – what I am to do is:
Ask the Lord what I have done wrong in the situation, and ask Him to help me change and make it right with Him and my husband.
Interestingly, there’s ALWAYS something God wants me to see within my OWN self!
(Pray Psalm 139:23-24 the next time you’re upset with your husband – and you’ll see: God’ll deal with it!)”
I think it is so important to point the finger back at ME when I’m focusing on another’s faults.
my latest blog post {Don’t do good deeds.} at http://www.osothankful.blogspot.com
I’m with Lisa – there’s ALWAYS something in ME that I need to address before I go to my hubby. We are currently working through an AMAZING book – “The Love that Lasts: When Marriage meets Grace” – and I highly recommend it to every couple who wants to grow in intimacy with the Lord and each other.
I think marriage just like a school. Both of you have to learn from each other, learn how to deal with each other and learn to manage your marriage. To me, marriage makes me think like an adult and realizes my responsibilities.
All of my undies are the exact same style, but I have a bazillion different colors. One fun thing we do is have my husband choose my underwear each day. :*) If he left for work before I woke up, he’d lay them out. If I left first, he’d choose the night before. Then all day long he knows exactly what to imagine me in, and I get to wear something he picked out!
Hilary´s last blog ..September Newsletter ~ $25 FREE
Great tips, thank you! I think focusing on creating a good marriage is SO important. I also recommend the book “For Women Only” (there is one for men too) found here http://www.shaunti.com/BooksStudies/ForWomenOnly/tabid/137/Default.aspx I really enjoyed this book and thought it gave great insight for me as a woman.
So true!
I had to say, though, that I got a little bit of a laugh about the graduate school tidbit. My husband is in a doctorate program, and we’ve talked about the fact that the divorce rates are high for doctorate students… BUT, I know for a fact, at least for us, it isn’t about one person growing and the other not… it’s about the stress and time involved. Of course, he also works 12 hour days in school administration (who also have higher divorce rates) and we have a two year old who doesn’t sleep. Ever.
I know it’s morbid, but we joke that we have the “perfect storm” to put us on the track to divorce.
All kidding aside, stressors of any kind can be really hard on a marriage, and sometimes just saying to each other, out loud, “These things are causing stress in our marriage. We better watch it.” can go a long way to lighten the mood and push both of us to finding ways to reconnect.
Kendra@www.thebutterflynest.blogspot.com´s last blog ..How Sweet it Is
I think couples, especially couples with young children, need to find ways to connect and create intimacy at home. Finances don’t always allow for babysitters or for dates away from home.
We like to go for a night swim together, share a glass of wine, or cook together.
One thing I know for sure: watching TV together does NOT create intimacy!
Melanie at Parenting Ink´s last blog ..Blessings Journal
Two weeks before my husband and I were married, my little sister was in a horrible car accident. She died after a week on life support. That Saturday we had a funeral. The next week we got married on a Friday. Was it hard? OF COURSE. She was my best friend. My only sister in a house of 5 brothers. But it sealed my husband and I together in a way that other couples are not. If you respond appropriately to struggle and hard things, they can bring you closer instead of further away.
(And we’ve been in higher education 7 out of the 9 years of marriage. Is he learning lots (oh YEA! he’s now a medical resident) But i’ve found ways to learn and grow and we’ve always put each other first (right after God) and we’ve got a very good marriage!
Great points you made!!
Rhonda Steed´s last blog ..Random
Good post and great advise! So many words to live by. Check out my new blog; Wives, Girlfriends and Lovers at: http://wivesgirlfriendsandlovers.blogspot.com/
Andy Brown´s last blog ..My Wife…
A beautiful post. Also remember that we don’t marry mind readers. If you need something (like a hug because you’re feeling down) then ASK. Your spouse will usually be more than happy to accommodate, and feel great that they could fulfill a need. Don’t make them guess, it just isn’t fair!
Pyrrh´s last blog ..Day of Beauty
i cannot tell you how much i like this post. the hardest time i’ve experienced with my husband was when we were dating and he was embarking on a new adventure that had nothing to do with me.
even then i knew i was jealous, and wish i had handled the whole thing differently, but you live and learn and i’m determined not to make the same mistake again.
laura @ peacoat´s last blog ..rock-your-world packages
I really appreciate you writing this informative article. I agree with throwing away the score card. It is important to forgive and go on to strengthen the relationship.
Bonnie´s last blog ..Types of Miscarriages
From success you get a lot of women mbt shoes things, but not that great mbt shoes on sale inside thing that love reviews mbt shoes brings you. Shallow men believe in mbt shoes luck.Wisdom is knowing what to sell mbt shoes do next,
skill is knowing how to do it,and virtue is to do it. Wise men learn by other men’s mistakes.Nothing is impossible to a cheap mbt shoes willing heart.
I salute you for a very realistic post. I can say how hard you tried to put these thoughts all together and it moved me, actually there are many of us who were moved by it. I have to say I am happily married for a little more than 2 years and it frightens me to read articles like this but I do because I want to be watchful of my acts in our relationship. I want to do what is right and have to set limits for myself. I love my husband and I love our marriage – working it out is really important to me.
Therabreath´s last blog ..Therabreath Plus Coupons
just for reading………………………….