Written by Jonathan Zalesne
When we’re in a committed relationship, our brains release chemicals that cause us to feel a wide range of emotions. Sometimes we feel positive feelings about our partners and ourselves, and other times we feel impartial or even destructive emotions.
Part of having a fantastic relationship is being able to confide in your partner about your emotions. But the path to emotional openness is often littered with obstacles.
Emotions and Openness in a Relationship
When you tell someone close to you something personal, like how you feel anxious about an upcoming work project, and they show compassion, it helps you feel more comfortable opening up to them.
Communication and emotional openness fortify you to take on your problem head-on.
However, if your partner constantly criticizes you or is unaccepting, you may become less open about expressing your emotions in the present and future. This toxic dynamic needs to be fixed to avoid further strain on the relationship.
You should evaluate your communication styles when arguments arise.
Words have the power to open or close a person emotionally, so it’s essential to be mindful of what you say to one another and avoid using words that could potentially cause tension.
Communicate from the heart, rather than out of anger, and avoid saying what you know will make your partner angry and lead to an argument.
It’s not easy to trust someone mad at you, and being upset or angry can make challenging situations even more difficult. If you can’t find a way to be nice to each other again after an argument, your relationship will suffer and eventually fail.
And it can be as easy as deciding to treat your life partner with more kindness. I guarantee that reiterating your love aloud will strengthen your relationship, so be sure to look into each other’s eyes as you do so.
One way to live up to your new vows is to prioritize your significant other above all others, even your immediate family.
That doesn’t mean you should ignore or be cruel to others, but you should make your significant other feel loved and appreciated regularly. That’s it; it only takes that for your love to blossom daily. It’s a healthy practice that can only bring you closer together.
One way to grow closer to someone is to let them know when they have done something you appreciate. You’ll feel more connected to your partner and strengthen your relationship if you validate them. We can’t have meaningful relationships without showing genuine interest in one another. Could you test it out and go with how you feel?
Intimacy, Mindfulness, and Knowing Yourself Better
The need for intimacy, emotional openness, and communication is a fundamental human need. Feeling close to another person is what we mean when discussing an intimate relationship. So what do we need to have safe, caring, and rewarding relationships?
Some people are attracted to one another because they share a similar “successful,” “beautiful,” or “interesting” persona. However, this attraction only serves to keep us at arm’s length.
Such allure is fleeting at best. When others learn the full extent of who we are, including our deepest, darkest insecurities, hurts, and struggles, those relationships are doomed to sour into discontent and isolation. It’s possible to become rather boring to others and ourselves if we don’t strive toward a prosperous and alive intimacy based on a deeper sharing of our innermost lives.
Find out what “being oneself” means instead of trying to be someone else.
The first step toward true intimacy is to stop hiding who we are and let the other person see all of us. When we maintain a solid connection to the energy of our being and learn to rest securely within ourselves, we pave the way for others to approach us.
Authenticity is the foundation of any close relationship. Identity demonstration necessitates self-awareness.
This requires us to stop, take stock of how we’re feeling, and tune into the dynamic world of our personal preferences and emotions.
If we aren’t willing to risk being vulnerable and showing the ever-shifting textures of our inner world, we can’t expect others to be drawn to us.
Frequently, we operate on autopilot without pausing to check in with ourselves and learn about our genuine emotions. So it’s natural to feel uneasy about disclosing more personal feelings to a new friend or partner, or even to someone we’ve known for a while and consider a close confidant.
We might worry about people thinking poorly of us or dismissing us as weak or pitiful. Knowing and displaying our inner states is indeed tricky, but it’s necessary if we want to build close, trustworthy relationships.
The recent rise in popularity of mindfulness-based practices is well-deserved.
However, meditation and mindfulness teachers often overlook an essential component: being aware of our emotional lives.
The term “spiritual bypassing” has gained traction to describe the common practice of seeking enlightenment in ways that avoid facing one’s genuine and often unpleasant emotions and needs.
When we only focus on external stimuli, our capacity for mindfulness is limited. Being present in the moment can help us focus on our most basic needs, like wanting a hug or a meaningful conversation. Likewise, identifying our hurt feelings in response to a partner’s or friend’s comment can help prevent the relationship from deteriorating due to indifference, pride, or fear.
Conclusion
Strong relationships must be nurtured and kept alive through emotional openness, regular communication, and attention. Research has identified specific personality traits as crucial to this end. To begin, both people must have faith that their companion is willing to try to focus on them. They must be willing to adjust to one another’s differences, even as those differences evolve.
Fairness in the distribution of emotional and physical labor, such as that required to keep a home running, is a hallmark of healthy relationships in the twenty-first century. In addition, partners in healthy relationships are thankful to one another, express and receive affection freely, and talk openly about sexuality.
In healthy partnerships, each person tries to see the best in their partner. This fosters a shared sense of purpose and helps everyone feel like they’re on the same side. If this feeling is sustained over time, it can help partners weather the storms of the relationship. If you feel like you could use extra support in achieving this, connect with us below to get insight on whether seeing a couples therapist is the right next step for you.