Blog 3: Sexual Intimacy

In today's blog, I will be discussing the concept of sexual compatibility within couples. We first must define what that means. Sexual compatibility refers to couples having needs, desires, and expectations regarding physical intimacy and sex that are aligned.  This helps lead both individuals to have mutual satisfaction and a strong connection which in turn will maintain a healthy relationship.

There are some factors involved with sexual compatibility. Firstly, in all aspects of relationship communication is key. The ability to have open and honest dialogue with your partner, including your preferences, boundaries, and most importantly consent are necessary. Open communication like this protects both people from being uncomfortable or even potentially getting physically or emotionally hurt while being intimate. Communication then leads to other factors like sexual preferences, emotional connection, expectations, and one’s personal libido/desire. It’s important to share your interests or specifics of sexual activities and behaviors that each individual likes or dislikes to be on the same page and maintain mental, physical, and emotional connection. It also helps to express your desire and be able to reach a level with each other’s libido is matched and both individuals are consensually ready to be intimate.

When any of these factors are lacking, it can affect a relationship. While sex is not everything, it along with intimacy are proven to be essential to keeping a healthy and long-lasting relationship. To maintain this compatibility, I think its important to always communicate when either individual feels unfulfilled or dissatisfied either during sex or not having any intimacy at all. Once that has been identified it could be helpful to experiment with new sexual interests or preferences you may have thought about or have always wanted to explore. Learning and understanding your partners love language and their desires can help deepen intimacy. Regular checking in with your partner in case they need something more or have sexual preferences can aid in strengthening the bond you have with them.  While all of this can maintain a healthy intimate lifestyle, I think it can go beyond sexual intimacy, as most of these are crucial to keeping a healthy relationship whether it’s your partner or other relationships like friends, family, and even coworkers/managers. Communication and setting boundaries are essential to maintain understanding and being complimentary to someone else’s needs/wants out of a relationship.