Building Intimacy Without Turning to Sex
If you want a close connection that will last, there are some relationship rules to live by. One of these is building intimacy without always turning to sex. From intimate gestures to deep conversations, there are many ways to solidify a relationship, other than sexual acts; in learning how to be nurturing to your partner and your partnership, you’ll notice a positive shift in your bond with one another.
How to show affection without being sexually active? It’s simple, really.
Tell them you love them
Of all the ways to show affection without being sexually active, perhaps the easiest method is to tell your significant other, “I love you.” Three simple words hold a lot of meaning, both for you and your partner. They confirm your feelings for them, help put the little things in your day-to-day life in context, and likely signify that you see them as a long-term commitment.
Of course, saying that you love someone is one thing, but your actions have to reflect and confirm this.
Go on a date together
Although coming up with new, unique date ideas together can be fun (in fact, we’d highly recommend it), not every date night has to have an immense amount of consideration poured into it. Instead, you can also choose to do something that you both love, like taking a night off to go to the movie theatre, to have dinner at your favourite restaurant, or to spend a paint night creating something together while having fun.
Express physical affection
Yes, this is still one of the ways to show affection without being sexually active. We’re referring to intimate gestures that don’t lead to sex, like reaching out and placing your hand on their arm, or giving them a hug or kiss. Take things up a notch by telling them that you find them attractive and pointing out something specific to give a compliment on.
Praise each other
With simple reminders that you’re proud of one another — whether they’ve recently accomplished something important or you’re offering praise as a reminder — you will have a better relationship. This is an effortless lesson on how to be nurturing to your partner, a method that can also take the form of showing gratitude for the things that they do for you.
Quick reminders like these let your significant other know that they are appreciated and that you feel a sense of pride in them.
Put your phones away
One of the relationship rules to live by: don’t spend all of your time connected to the online world. Whether it’s text messages, phone or video calls, or social media, you need to take a break and spend face-to-face time with the people right in front of you.
At a set time each day, turn your phone onto ‘silent mode’ and use these hours to get to know your partner better.
Have an important conversation
Ask thoughtful questions, anything from how their day was to what they’ve been thinking about lately. If you have anything specific on your mind that you feel needs to be addressed, bring it up!
By having distraction-free conversations with one another, you will notice a deepened bond, as well as the fostering of a greater sense of communication, openness, and trust between you both.
Do something new together
This doesn’t have to be something as extreme as moving in together (although that is an option). Instead, think about the things you’ve been talking about for a long time but have never gotten around to doing, the trips you’ve been planning but haven’t booked, or even coming up with something entirely new that sparks both of your interests. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something that you can do together, that will make for quality time.
Introspect and invest in yourself
Ultimately, if you want to know how to be nurturing to your partner, you must realize that it is rooted in self-love. When we take the time to be kind to ourselves, we’re essentially reversing the drain we tend to put on our mental health, physicality, and confidence. Without these things — without truly and unconditionally loving ourselves — it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to love other people.
Of the various relationship rules to live by, one of the most important is building intimacy and learning how to be nurturing to your partner without relying on sex. Though (after losing your virginity) sex is a great way to strengthen a bond, it cannot be the only way.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll now need to start surviving a dry spell and cut out sexual activity from your life, but rather, that by adding more intimate gestures, conversations, and actions to your relationship, your love will deepen.
How do you work towards building intimacy in your relationship? What are some other ways to show affection without being sexually active? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
