{"id":20349,"date":"2020-11-25T09:13:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T17:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=20349"},"modified":"2022-09-01T00:40:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T07:40:20","slug":"types-of-intimacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When we talk about being intimate in a romantic relationship, our minds often go straight to sexual intimacy. However, there are many types of intimacy. Sex is just one of them<\/span> and you can build strong intimacy without sex<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intimacy is a process through which we can feel truly seen, known, and connected to our partner. Whatever way in which you and your partner choose to be intimate is perfectly acceptable and normal as long as there\u2019s clear consent. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trying out new intimate things to do with your partner<\/a> can be a great experience. Better yet? It can even bring you two closer together.<\/span> Here\u2019s the low-down on different types of intimacy and some tips to overcome <\/span>intimacy issues<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Types of Intimacy in a Relationship<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical Intimacy<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is often the go-to form of intimacy for many couples. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical intimacy is usually crucial to maintaining a healthy and lasting romantic relationship. <\/span>It can involve touching, cuddling, and of course, sex. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, physical intimacy doesn\u2019t always have to be sexual. It can mean being affectionate in other ways too, like holding hands or giving a massage.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you and your S.O. struggle to maintain a regular routine where you’re physically intimate, actively put aside time where you two can be close in this way. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skin-to-skin contact is vital for your mental and physical health. It’s a great stress reliever too, so think of it as a form of self-care! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you feeling disconnected from your partner physically? If the answer is yes, then it\u2019s important to explore why that might be. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if your partner tries to hold your hand and it makes you feel uncomfortable, consider why this is happening. Pay attention to your thoughts and reactions. Be honest with yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if your partner is the one who seems to be disconnected from you, ask them about it. Avoid making assumptions, it\u2019s always better to be honest than to be speculative.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening up a dialogue on intimacy can be very helpful. After all, <\/span>communication is key<\/span><\/a> to a successful relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotional Intimacy<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While physical intimacy is displayed via touch, emotional intimacy is demonstrated through words and communication. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successful emotional intimacy is where participants feel supported, understood, and heard. It requires partners to trust each other and when practiced frequently, it can make a relationship stronger.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exactly does emotional intimacy entail? Well, it varies! It can be anything from spending quality time with one another to journaling together or practicing honest communication.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you and your partner are struggling with emotional intimacy, why not pencil in time together away from your phones and devices? Or write a \u201cWhat I love about you\u201d list about each other? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These practices may sound cringy but <\/span>studies show<\/span><\/a> they can make a real difference! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting vulnerable like this is easier for some people than it is for others. So don’t worry if it doesn’t feel natural to you!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intellectual Intimacy<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the types of intimacy that many couples don\u2019t consider. Intellectual intimacy is when couples share ideas, thoughts, and views. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engaging in stimulating back-and-forth discussions with your partner can increase your respect for them tenfold. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning to disagree with them constructively can also improve how you resolve conflicts. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So make a conscious effort to avoid growing defensive or angry. A healthy debate fosters intellectual intimacy like nothing else.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve your intellectual intimacy with your S.O., why not read the same news article and then discuss what you both got from it? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or join a book club and regularly check-in with your partner’s opinions on each month\u2019s read.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual Intimacy<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual intimacy refers to the sharing of higher and personal ideas. This includes your beliefs and values. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some couples practice this via religion, other couples choose to partake in mindfulness, meditation, or yoga together instead. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking about spirituality with your partner allows you to connect with them on a deeper level, one that’s full of meaning.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our advice? Schedule time with your partner to share your takes on spirituality and life with one another. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regularly engaging in positive thinking can change how you look at the world and those who you love. It can help you see the bigger picture, and in a relationship, this can be a game-changer.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why not watch the sun-rise (or set) together or go for a morning walk each day? Practicing types of intimacy in nature can feel extra freeing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fostering Intimacy is Important<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By realizing physicality isn\u2019t the only way we can connect, we open ourselves, and our relationships, up to infinite possibilities. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So take time to try out these multiple types of intimacy with your partner. Who knows, maybe it’ll bring your love to new heights!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What type of intimacy works for you? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":212,"featured_media":20350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[894,898],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-relationships","category-relationship-problems"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are many different types of intimacy. Here's our take on each of them and how you can improve your intimacy in your relationship.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are many different types of intimacy. Here's our take on each of them and how you can improve your intimacy in your relationship.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Date Mix\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-25T17:13:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-01T07:40:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/with-love-on-the-night-bridge_t20_XQgEW3-800x600-types-of-intimacy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Demeter DeLune\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/DeluneDemeter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Demeter DeLune\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship","description":"There are many different types of intimacy. Here's our take on each of them and how you can improve your intimacy in your relationship.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship","og_description":"There are many different types of intimacy. Here's our take on each of them and how you can improve your intimacy in your relationship.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/","og_site_name":"The Date Mix","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","article_published_time":"2020-11-25T17:13:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-01T07:40:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/with-love-on-the-night-bridge_t20_XQgEW3-800x600-types-of-intimacy.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Demeter DeLune","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/DeluneDemeter","twitter_site":"@Zoosk","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Demeter DeLune","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/"},"author":{"name":"Demeter DeLune","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/0a5490a8b6428a5321728135f2381420"},"headline":"How To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship","datePublished":"2020-11-25T17:13:56+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-01T07:40:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/"},"wordCount":827,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/with-love-on-the-night-bridge_t20_XQgEW3-800x600-types-of-intimacy.jpg","articleSection":["Healthy Relationships","Relationship Problems"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/","name":"How To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/with-love-on-the-night-bridge_t20_XQgEW3-800x600-types-of-intimacy.jpg","datePublished":"2020-11-25T17:13:56+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-01T07:40:20+00:00","description":"There are many different types of intimacy. Here's our take on each of them and how you can improve your intimacy in your relationship.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/with-love-on-the-night-bridge_t20_XQgEW3-800x600-types-of-intimacy.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/with-love-on-the-night-bridge_t20_XQgEW3-800x600-types-of-intimacy.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"couple-holding-hands-practicing-different-types-of-intimacy"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/types-of-intimacy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Relationships","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Healthy Relationships","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/relationship-advice\/healthy-relationships\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How To Foster Different Types Of Intimacy In A Relationship"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","name":"The Date Mix","description":"Dating and Relationship Advice for Today's Daters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization","name":"The Date Mix","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"The Date Mix"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Zoosk"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/0a5490a8b6428a5321728135f2381420","name":"Demeter DeLune","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3b86d3c3fe37da1d076eb4872de3ea8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3b86d3c3fe37da1d076eb4872de3ea8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Demeter DeLune"},"description":"Demeter DeLune is a dating and relationships writer and sex-positive blogger who's been practicing what she preaches for longer than she'd like to admit. She's the friend you have to warn your other friends about and channels that into her writing. She's given advice all over the world but still can't get her cats to listen! Demeter has been working with Zoosk to create sex-positive content and help online daters to make meaningful connections with like-minded singles.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/demeterdelunexo\/?hl=en","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/DeluneDemeter"],"url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/author\/demeter-delune\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/212"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}