My guess is that the title of this blog post got your attention, but maybe not in a good way. If you are like me, you assume that when you hear the word intimacy it has to do with sex. Depending on how you feel about sex or how you feel about talking about it, it may be an unsettling thing to read. However, I want to try to expand our definition of intimacy and how it can apply to us in our close relationships.
Until I read the book “Stretched Too Thin” by Jessica N. Turner, I only thought of intimacy in very narrow terms. But, did you know there are many types of intimacy? Jessica’s book described several of them, which I will list here: sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, intellectual intimacy, aesthetic intimacy, creative intimacy, recreational intimacy, work intimacy, crisis intimacy, conflict intimacy, commitment intimacy, spiritual intimacy, communication intimacy, and moral intimacy. I will leave you to her book for descriptions of these types of intimacy, and my guess is there are more out there too. Regardless, I think it is great to expand our ideas of what intimacy means. In hindsight, it almost seems obvious. No matter what you do or what happens in life, you can find ways to connect with a partner.
If you are struggling with depression and have a significant other, or if you have a significant other with depression, what does this expanded definition of intimacy reveal to you? Does to help to know that there might still be some ways you can stay connected despite the depression? Does this give you hope? Or, does it change anything? If it does change anything, what is that? Overall, this list may give you ways to reframe your experiences as you go through a depression.