What does intimacy mean to you?

'Close familiarity or friendship; closeness.'

.An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, or acquaintances.'

For me, intimacy relates not only to closeness, but also comfort and to some extent, safety. To be able to be fully yourself and free with someone is a very intimate thing. 

In Intimacy, one of the episodes of Touch with Marcus Quillan and Liz Rainbow, we see a man who has been starved of intimacy and touch, trying to relearn these skills...

'Mark wanted to touch. To be touched. But it had been a lifetime since he felt another’s body and it was that which made him run from Vera and Lottie. After no contact for so long he had forgotten how to get close, so he visits Rain, an intimacy coach from the before times...'

So just how do we build intimacy in our relationships? There are many simple ways to foster intimacy in all of our important relationships...

1. Make time for each other - no phones, no distractions, just the two of you. Give yourselves your undivided attention. 

2. Get curious - However long you have known each other there will always be things you don't know, especially when it comes to hopes and dreams because these change over time. There are also games you can try with great prompt questions such as The Skin Deep collection.

3. Learn something together - both being beginners and then taking on a new skill or role together is a brilliant way to get to know each other better.