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My dear lgbt+ kids,
Intimacy is important. It fosters healthy, happy relationships and those are important for your mental health (and may even improve your physical health) – but what is intimacy exactly?
The first thing that pops in your head may be sex, and while that can undoubtedly be an important aspect of physical intimacy for many couples, that’s not all intimacy is! You can have great intimacy in any kind of relationship, including sex-free romantic relationships, queerplatonic relationships and platonic friendships.
That’s because there are different types of intimacy:
- Physical intimacy: this can be sex, but it can also be kissing, cuddling, hand-holding, hugging… any kind of physical touch that gives you a feeling of safety, closeness and comfort in each other.
- Emotional intimacy: this means feeling comfortable sharing your inner feelings and being vulnerable with each other, for example being able to share your worries and hopes, feeling safe to ask for comfort, knowing you can celebrate your accomplishments with them without being criticized etc.!
- Intellectual intimacy: this doesn’t have anything to do with being super smart, it just means being able to share thoughts, opinions and ideas with each other. It doesn’t matter if you agree, just that you can openly and honestly express yourself, and try to understand each other’s viewpoint.
- Experiential intimacy: this means shared experiences! Spending time together, participating in hobbies together, trying new things together, even just running errands together!
- Spiritual intimacy: you don’t need to be religious or spiritual to experience this, it just means you share values and beliefs with each other and bond over them. This can be as simple as feeling safe to discuss beliefs with each other without fear of rejection or judgement, or it can be profound, awe-inspring experiences you experience together.
With all my love,
Your Tumblr Dad
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