Intimacy Decline In Relationships

Thousands of couples were asked about intimacy in their marriage.

79% share that intimacy has declined over time.

So what does it actually look like to make emotional and physical intimacy a priority in real daily life?

You know,

When you've been together for years,

You have kids and all the busyness that brings into life.

And maybe at the end of the day,

You just don't have much energy left for each other.

Anyone that's been in a long-term relationship knows things do change as the years go by,

And life does tend to get more stressful and full.

But the key is getting intentional and creative so connection doesn't get deprioritized for too long.

The first place to look is in your conversations.

Have they become all about the logistics and the to-dos?

And you're missing those moments of depth and connection.

The things that you open up and share that keep you emotionally close.

A lot of the times with the clients that I see,

I might suggest they have a reconnection date.

Sometimes it's just 20-30 minutes over coffee on the weekend.

Time to talk about,

Hey,

What worked well this week?

How did we love each other in a good way?

And to see what kind of conversation that might spark.

How's affection?

How are the hugs,

The kisses,

The gestures of appreciation?

Once those begin to fade,

It's no surprise that both partners feel less desired.

And as we know,

Intimacy starts way before the bedroom.

And so these moments of reconnection can really bring us back together.

When intimacy feels off,

I find many couples just avoid the topic.

But then silence often leads to assumption about unmet needs.

And instead,

The distance grows.

It's probably no surprise to hear that devices are the distractions that really hijack attention.

The scrolling or tuning out with TV at night takes up the space where affection and connection could be happening.

So it's just a place to check in and notice if that's maybe interrupting the potential of closeness.

So the research showed it's much more about how close you feel emotionally,

How much effort you're putting into each other,

And the thoughtfulness of the little things that all add up that create that closeness we're all looking for inside of our relationship.

I hope some of those tips lead you back to more of the intimacy you're looking for inside of your relationship.