Having too much to do in a day and too much time can cause the passion in your relationship to get lost in the more monotonous aspects of daily life. This may lead you to question how you can maintain a healthy, loving relationship today.
Challenges of the Concept of Monogamy
Difficulties are inevitable, especially when considering the concept of monogamy. Monogamy means that we limit our sexual and emotional commitment to a single person, which usually means that we can only have any experiences and interactions with that person. However, it is possible to maintain a happy and satisfying relationship within monogamy.
Keeping the Relationship Alive by Creating an “Intimacy Inventory”
One way to keep your relationship alive despite your or your partner’s low libido levels is to create an “intimacy inventory . ” Our focus on sexuality and physical contact may be due to the constraints of monogamy or popular culture’s depictions of passionate and sensual intimacy. However, physical and sexual intimacy are just two aspects of this multifaceted phenomenon.
Here are 7 rare types of intimacy that only the happiest couples have:
1. Affinity for Humor
Happy couples enjoy laughing together. Their inside jokes and ability to make each other laugh help them escape from daily stress and troubles. Humor can be a defense mechanism used when dealing with life’s challenges and creates positive energy between couples so they can explore the more fun aspects of life together.
2. Service Proximity
Couples form a deeper bond by sharing acts of helping and serving others. Joint service projects reinforce couples’ commitment to each other and the community around them. These types of activities make couples feel more satisfied with the time they spend together and lay the foundation for a solid relationship built on shared values.
3. Parental Intimacy
Raising children is one of the most important roles that couples undertake together. Collaborating as parents in meeting children’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs creates deep intimacy between couples. This process requires working towards common goals and concern for the welfare of children.
4. Friendship Intimacy
Couples can be each other’s best friends. This type of intimacy is based on mutual appreciation and trust . Friendship is one of the cornerstones of a relationship and allows couples to support each other and enjoy spending time together.
5. Creative Intimacy
Engaging in creative activities together can increase intimacy between couples. Joint projects or hobbies give couples the opportunity to be productive together and get to know each other better in the process. Creativity breaks the monotony by adding new and exciting elements to the relationship.
6. Crisis Proximity
Standing together in the face of life’s inevitable challenges helps couples grow closer together. Shared challenges and pain test couples’ commitment to each other, and they often emerge from the process as a stronger unit. Crises strengthen their trust in each other and strengthen their support systems.
7. Communication Closeness
Open and honest communication is the foundation of a healthy relationship. Couples establish loving and respectful communication by listening to each other and showing that they value each other’s ideas . This constant dialogue prevents misunderstandings and conflicts and ensures transparency and understanding in the relationship.
How to have a strong and healthy relationship by combining them all:
1. Review Intimacy Zones
Different areas of intimacy come to the fore in every couple’s relationship. Discover what types of intimacy you value most in your own relationship . This could be humor, creativity, crisis support, parenting, friendship, service or communication. Determine which areas are most important to you, this will help you better understand what holds you and your partner together.
2. Identify Intimacy Strengths in Your Relationship
Identify the forms of intimacy that you feel are strong in your relationship. Think about what types of intimacy you both felt comfortable with and what strengthened your relationship. This forms the cornerstone of your relationship and provides a basis for planning activities that will further reinforce your strengths.
3. Identify Weak Areas of Intimacy in Your Relationship
There are areas that need improvement in every relationship. Identify areas of intimacy that are weak in your relationship and think about how you can improve in those areas. This reveals weak points that you need to work on together, and making a conscious effort to work on these issues will put your relationship on a stronger foundation.
4. Set Common Goals
The intimacy inventory you’ve taken so far should reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your relationship. Share this inventory with your partner and set goals to increase intimacy together. In addition to keeping your relationship vibrant and dynamic, these goals also help you and your partner grow together. Common goals keep the relationship fresh and prevent it from becoming stale.
This process is a step that will increase the sincerity and commitment in your relationship and make you feel closer to each other both physically and emotionally. Active nurturing of the relationship by both parties ensures that this intimacy is constantly renewed and deepened. By applying these four steps in your relationship, you can lay the foundations of a healthy and happy relationship both today and in the future.