Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world. It involves a lot of fanfare and merrymaking. Friends and family come together to have a good time, exchange gifts, and create lasting memories. Lovers, on the other hand, use the time to bond and get intimate. It’s a joyful season, hence the insistent urge to find one’s happy place.
That said, Christmas can be very lonely if you’re alone. Especially when you consider humans are social beings who thrive on close and intimate relationships. In this article, we’ll look at the importance of intimacy during Christmas and other festive seasons to give you a deeper perspective and understanding.
Types of Intimacy
Contrary to popular belief, intimacy isn’t reserved for romantic relationships only. It’s also experienced in close friendships, among siblings, and parent-child relationships. In fact, there’re different types of intimacy in relationships. They include:
Emotional Intimacy
Emotional intimacy is when you feel safe and secure in your relationship with someone, to the point of being vulnerable around them. You can let your guard down and be yourself or express your feelings freely.
Intellectual Intimacy
This type of intimacy makes you feel safe sharing thought-provoking viewpoints with someone. Your intellectual connection is at a level where you can express your beliefs without worrying about potential conflict with the individual(s).
Physical Intimacy
Physical intimacy mainly involves physical affection. It includes, but isn’t limited to sexual intercourse. For instance, holding hands, hugging, cuddling, and even eye contact, fall under physical intimacy.
Spiritual Intimacy
This is a transcendent connection that you share with someone. It goes beyond the ordinary human experience. And, no, you don’t have to subscribe to the same religious practice or belief.
Creative Intimacy
This intimacy involves exploring your creative minds and creating things together.
Other types of intimacy are aesthetic, recreational, and mental. The common factor about the different types of intimacy is sharing a connection with someone over something.
Importance of Intimacy During Christmas
You Don’t Feel Left Out
Seeing how the Christmas season centres around togetherness and sharing intimate moments with loved ones, it’s almost natural to feel left out. Everywhere you go, you’re likely to meet a family or couple enjoying their time together. Even Christmas movies and cards are all about love, family and friendships. So, intimacy helps to avoid the urge to isolate yourself and hope to wake up when Christmas is over.
Real intimacy will make you look forward to sharing time with loved ones during Christmas. After all, you can feel lonely even when surrounded by people. Moreso, if you don’t share any intimacy.
Helps to Alleviate Anxiety and Panic
One of the key aspects of intimacy is trust. As such, people who share some form of intimacy feel safe and secure around each other. Therefore, they can let their guard down and enjoy the moment. They don’t worry about insecurities or get anxious when together. Intimacy creates room for a wholesome festive experience.
Strengthen Relationships
For romantic relationships, physical and sexual intimacy are essential in building a strong bond and connection with your partner. It fosters closeness, love, and deep affection for one another. Also, for other types of relationships, emotional intimacy would make your friendship, siblinghood, or parent-child relationship stronger.
Provides Health Benefits
Being in an intimate and fulfilling relationship can help avoid stress, depression, and other health conditions—especially for the elderly. Also, intimacy triggers the production of oxytocin (a feel-good hormone), fast healing after surgery, lower blood pressure, and ultimately leads to a longer lifespan.
Now, less stress inadvertently results in better sleep, improved immune function, and overall well-being.
Better Sex Life
Physical and emotional intimacy play major roles in enhancing a rich and fulfilling sex life among couples. The intimate actions and feelings are like foreplay that build up to a better sexual experience. Intimacy helps you understand each other’s sensual needs and responses and how to provide maximum satisfaction.
Fear of Intimacy
Seeing how important intimacy is to different relationships, it’s sad to know that it’s almost non-existent in most relationships today. This is because most people struggle with and fear intimacy. Why? Check out the reasons below.
- Fear of rejection: Worrying that your flaws and imperfections will lead to rejection by the other person.
- Abandonment issues: You fear getting attached because the person will leave right after.
- Past abuse: Childhood abuse inhibits your intimate connections because you find it hard to trust people.
- Control issues: You’re worried about losing your independence when you create emotional connections and become vulnerable.
The good thing is that you can build intimacy in your relationship. However, you must consider the following:
- Patience: intimacy takes time. It’s not easy to earn someone’s trust to the point where they can express their vulnerability.
- Start Small: Build slowly by tackling the easy stuff. Engage in topics you’re comfortable sharing, then move to the tough conversations with time.
- Communicate Openly: Express your needs openly to avoid any misunderstandings. Don’t assume anything.
- Respect Your Differences: Understand that you have your own identities and try to understand where the other person is coming from, even if you disagree.
Conclusion
While focusing on places to visit and things to do during Christmas, don’t forget intimacy. It’s what you need to enjoy a wholesome festive season with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!
