The Art of Self Intimacy
I’ve recently been exploring the idea of intimacy. The dictionary defines intimacy as “a close, personal association or relationship”. But what does that really mean? I found myself wondering if there was more to this word than what met the eye. After some time studying this subject I learned that there is so much more to intimacy than what we are conditioned to see. In addition to this discovery, I also realized how important it is to be aware of one’s own needs in order to thrive.
Self love + Self acceptance = Self Intimacy
Intimacy with yourself will include time spent getting to know your mind, body, and soul.
Intimacy is a connection. It’s the feeling of closeness and connectedness to a person or thing. Intimacy involves being vulnerable, honest, and open with yourself. When you share your true thoughts and feelings, it creates intimate connection with who you authentically are. Making space to connect with yourself on a deeper level than just surface-level communication through reflection and questions will provide a strong framework to continue to align with what your desire for yourself, your relationships, and your life. Intimacy takes time to foster; but once it does there will be no turning back! Once you have experienced this type of bond with yourself (and others), nothing else compares!
Self-intimacy requires that you take time to acknowledge and accept all of your thoughts, feeling, and actions.
How can you be intimate with your own thoughts, feelings and actions if you are unwilling to acknowledge them? Self-intimacy requires that you take time to acknowledge and accept all of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Rather than judging or rejecting any part of yourself, it requires being honest with yourself. This includes the parts of yourself that are hard for others to see: the flaws, the mistakes and even the ugly side of things. By acknowledging all parts of yourself can you experience true intimacy with who you really are—and when we experience true intimacy within our own minds we begin to feel deeply connected with the world around us. The willingness to be vulnerable and honest with yourself is what creates intimacy. It is not a process that can be rushed or forced, but it must begin somewhere. You have to begin by being willing to accept your vulnerability—both internally and externally—and then extend that willingness and compassion to your whole self. It will take time and patience, but if you stick with it, you’ll find yourself moving more fully into the present moment than ever before and living life in a way that feels authentic and fulfilling. It’s about accepting all parts of yourself, even the hard parts.
When you're open to looking at your life and your behavior, you'll be able to accept more of yourself. Which is the first step before you can even think about changing anything. When we’re in touch with all parts of ourselves, we have a better chance at understanding ourselves and the world around us. Because when we are fully accepting of our own flaws, it means that we don't judge or criticize ourselves so harshly—and that can make us more patient with the harsh truths around us. When I was younger, I always thought if only I could figure out how to change myself then my life and relationships would be better; but that wasn't true. It wasn't until I began my self acceptance journey that I began to see my relationships change. I have less tolerance for things that don't align with me and what I want to be around. In turn I started aligning with the people, places, and things for me.
You don't need to be perfect in order to deserve love or care; just be yourself!
Taking the time to get to know who you truly are will allow you to have more fulfilling relationships and a deeper connection with yourself.
As you get to know yourself, you will find the things that make your heart sing, you'll begin to see the things that are holding you back. You will learn what it is that makes you happy and that will help guide you through the pain of life. To clarify I don't believe joy and pain are opposites. I believe them to be capable of existing at the same time. Thats what makes this life so beautiful. As you embrace your light and shadows, this will be used to help others by solely existing alongside them. It will allow yourself to be more open with others, be vulnerable in your thoughts and feelings(not everyone is trustworthy be sure to listen to your intuition), listen without judgement, share your wisdom and knowledge without fear of rejection or feeling like a burden. Self-intimacy is an important part of having a fulfilling life. It allows us to see ourselves in a new light and gain a deeper understanding of who we are. We can also use it as an opportunity to find out what we truly want out of life, which will help us make better decisions moving forward.
