How Do You Fix Intimacy Issues in a Relationship?

If you’re asking this question, you may be feeling detached or distanced from your partner at the moment. It’s worth mentioning right from the outset that this happens in many relationships, for a variety of reasons. The good news is that with the right emotional tools and by utilising the right methods, you and your partner can overcome these challenges and find the “spark” once again.

Fostering physical and emotional intimacy in a relationship is an ongoing practise, and like anything that requires practise, it may take a little while to figure it out. That being said, there are some things you can try as early as tonight that might help to rekindle your emotional connection and rediscover intimacy with each other.

1. Place yourself in a vulnerable position to earn your partner’s trust again

Even for couples who have been together for years, sometimes you’ll find that either yourself or your partner (or both) have re-erected personal boundaries for whatever reason. If this is the case, one thing you can do is deliberately put yourself in a position of vulnerability, and allow your partner to assert themselves into this invitation for a more intimate conversation.

It could be something that’s happening in your career that maybe you wouldn’t normally bring up, or something from your past which you’ve never shared with anyone.

2. Offer affirmations and compliments to your partner on a daily basis

We’re all guilty of taking our partner’s best attributes for granted at times – even if those attributes are the very thing that made you fall in love with them in the first place. Life gets in the way, and we get distracted with other issues that are consuming our headspace.

Just by going out of your way to give your partner specific compliments and affirmations on a routine basis, you may be amazed at the instant positive impact this can have on your emotional intimacy levels.

It doesn’t take much to remind your partner of how you feel about them, and the positive attributes about them that you still consciously notice in normal day-to-day life.

3. Make your partner’s sexual satisfaction a priority

Research shows that couples who report being sexually satisfied tend to have a greater emotional connection to their partners. Of course, this makes sense – our physical and emotional needs are intrinsically linked, and one compliments the other.

While the act of sexual intercourse obviously isn’t a simple solution for strengthening your emotional connection and overcoming intimacy issues, having discussions with each other about how you can further satisfy your partner and what fantasies and desires they have requires a certain level of vulnerability. This vulnerability, when reciprocated, creates room for heightened intimacy (both physically and emotionally).

4. Try exciting new things together, to break out of mundane routines

In this day and age, it’s all too easy to get bogged down in your 9-5 job and same old routines. When this happens in a relationship, one of the first things to suffer is usually intimacy. If you and your partner are stuck in a rut where most weeks involve the same mundane activities, it might be time to break out of this cycle and try something new together.

It could be something as simple as a cooking class once a week, or something active like hiking or rock-climbing on the weekends. By giving yourselves time together in a new setting while exploring new hobbies, there’s a good chance you’ll instantly start to unearth new feelings of intimacy which can help you rediscover how you felt about each other at the start of your relationship.

The biggest symptom of lost intimacy is when we stop trying to impress our partners, stop trying to understand their emotions, and essentially give in to apathy. Exploring new hobbies together can be a highly effective way to combat this.

Your Psychologist in Elsternwick can help you overcome intimacy issues in your relationship

At the end of the day, intimacy issues in a relationship can often be alleviated simply by making time for each other, communicating, and trying new things to add a bit of excitement once complacency has set in. If you and your partner are experiencing intimacy issues, Franco Greco can help.

With years of experience as a qualified and experienced psychologist, Franco has helped countless couples overcome intimacy issues and foster a stronger emotional connection with each other.

Book an appointment online, or get in touch for more information. Your Psychologist in Elsternwick also provides evidence-based treatment for anxiety, depression, addiction, co-dependency and other unhealthy schemas.