Intimacy is an important part of a healthy relationship, but sometimes it’s hard to communicate with your partner or trust them.

Building emotional intimacy is a beautiful goal to strive for in your relationships, whether it’s a romantic relationship, familial, or platonic.

Being emotionally intimate, however, needs trust. Trust and love are two cornerstones in any healthy relationship. 

Many relationships do not go beyond the superficial level because one or two members of the relationship do not trust each other.

Emotional intimacy requires vulnerability and honesty from both people in the relationship and the ability to listen and communicate openly without judgment. 

And this needs trust.

Some individuals may find this process easier than others, but everyone can work towards it with time and effort.

Being Emotionally vulnerable is a natural part of life. 

Emotional vulnerability is a term used to describe the willingness to be open and honest with oneself about one’s feelings. It also refers to the willingness and ability to share one’s feelings with others without fear of judgment. 

Only by making ourselves vulnerable can we understand, empathize, forgive ourselves, and know that we are worthy of being loved and belonged to.

Emotional vulnerability is not a sign of weakness. 

Despite the negative connotation of vulnerability, emotional vulnerability is actually a sign of courage and strength. 

By being vulnerable, you are allowing yourself the space to grow and evolve as an individual. 

You are also giving others permission to be vulnerable with you so that they can feel understood too.

Emotional vulnerability can bring people together or tear them apart.

Talking about your emotions with your partner, for example, may make you feel weak at first but also closer than before.

Being emotionally vulnerable means taking risks to grow, connect with other people, or improve yourself as an individual in some way. 

It’s vital for your mental health, as well as for the relationships around you.

Being emotionally vulnerable in a relationship does not come easy, but it is the key to building a healthy and happy relationship. 

Opening up and having emotional intimacy in a relationship can be tricky, though.

Relationships are tough. They take hard work, patience, and a lot of emotional energy.

Sometimes, it feels like all we do is fight and nothing ever works.

The good news is that you can start building a healthier, more meaningful relationship with your partner or family member by being vulnerable.

But first, you need to understand why people feel shame with being vulnerable, and what they need when they feel so

“To be vulnerable, you have to show the core of who you are and what it is that makes you tick. You have to share your hopes, your fears, your dreams, and your disappointments.”

– Brené Brown

As Brene Brown pointed out in her 2012 TED talk “Listening to Shame,” men and women experience shame differently. Women generally believe that they should “do all of this; be perfect and never let them see you sweating!” “Men often think they should follow the rules: “Don’t be seen as weak.”

Understanding the source of shame in others and overcoming our fear of emotional vulnerability requires a lot of empathy.

Women don’t need to have their her problems solved, they just need to be listened and reassured.

Men on the other hand don’t need assurance. They just need to know that they can be weak insecure, feel sad and still feel safe.

Trust yourself or your partner to deal with your difficult emotions. 

A relationship without intimacy -physical or emotional- will not make anyone happy. 

Sometimes it is better to admit painful emotions than avoid them immediately or try to get rid of them. 

If you have practiced the ability to recognize your own painful emotions, you will share your feelings with your partner in a meaningful and intimate way.

More importantly, when you are willing to share your painful or difficult feelings, you will send a powerful message to your partner. If it’s a healthy relationship, they will get the message and open up as well.

Improving emotional intimacy can truly hit deeper levels in a relationship. You’ll be scared now, but you’re securing your safety in the long term. If you feel like a wall is building between you and your partner, work to restoring emotional intimacy.

Things can start as simple as having a date night, and just spend time with them. Know how your partner feels.

Work together to be each other’s safe spaces. And remember, intimacy is not just physical intimacy!