What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “intimacy in marriage”? Is it physical intimacy?

Physical intimacy is just a small part of intimacy in marriage. There are five types of intimacy that every marriage needs: physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual intimacy.

Physical Intimacy is simply “a loving touch such as a hug or kiss that communicates your love and acceptance for your spouse. It boosts the emotional connection between you and your spouse. Note that there’s more to physical intimacy than sexual intimacy.

Intellectual intimacy comes from exchanging thoughts and ideas with your partner.  You do not really have to discuss highly intellectual ideas to have intellectual intimacy. There is a lot of intellectual stimulation to be gained from

Sharing opinions about work, hobbies, interests and all the other things that affect your everyday lives can be very intellectually stimulating.

Social intimacy is all about doing fun things together and experiencing life together. It includes things like taking a walk, making dinner or watching a movie with your partner.  To nurture this kind of intimacy in marriage, you need to find some things that you like to do as a couple and do them more often.

If you’re in a long distance marriage, you can still nurture social intimacy by talking about the things you are doing or experiencing – so that your partner almost feels like he or she is there too.

Emotional Intimacy is about sharing your feelings and emotions with each other. This kind of intimacy can be nurtured by empathizing with each other and working hard at understanding each other’s feelings.

Spiritual intimacy comes from shared religious beliefs and practices. Christian couples nurture spiritual intimacy by going to church, praying and reading scriptures together.