30/05/2024
S*x vs Intimacy
S*x is a physical act. S*x does not necessarily carry with it an emotional connection or feelings of attachment. I mean ultimately, that’s what the majority of people want in their relationships, however, it’s not the case for everyone. Sometimes s*x is just a physical act performed in order to achieve an or**sm. Some people are okay with just needing that physical connection.
Intimacy is a feeling of closeness, familiarity, and/or friendship with another person. Synonyms for intimacy are: attachment, affection, warmth, togetherness, affinity, rapport. I had none of these things in my first marriage. In fact, we were severely detached from each other’s needs.
I’m an emotional person and I couldn’t be my true self for fear he wouldn’t accept me. Typically, my husband recoiled when I expressed any type of emotion and as a result, I grew more and more distant. Because I didn’t have those critical components of intimacy in my relationship, I didn’t feel connected to him. I discovered that I needed intimacy in order to feel s*xual.
In the beginning of our relationship s*x with my then husband was mediocre. For some reason I thought that as we grew together in our marriage, the s*x would get better. Well, I was wrong. It got worse and I became more and more detached and unfulfilled. Before long, s*x became an obligatory act that eventually became a repulsive one. Five years into it, the thought of having s*x with this man triggered my gag-reflex.
I think because we lacked the intimacy I needed to enjoy having s*x with him.
I wish I would have understood the importance of intimacy in a relationship, especially a long-term relationship. I wish my husband did too. I have found that most people don’t talk about s*x and intimacy. It’s probably because they were never taught how to express themselves emotionally or s*xually. In our culture our boys are taught to detach from their emotions. Our girls are taught that their bodies are objects so they detach from their bodies. Boys and girls need to be taught to connect with the mind, body and spirit. But that’s the subject of another post.
S*x and intimacy are two different things. It’s important to understand how they differ and how they correlate. It’s also important to understand what you value. If intimacy isn’t important to you but it’s important to your partner, this should be discussed before you get married. How will you navigate these differences in your marriage? Will you consider not getting married if this need is not fulfilled.