Inoculate with Intimacy
Posted on February 07, 2016 by Sarah Phillips, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
This article asserts that the more intimacy we have with others, the better we can handle stress and difficulties.
The flu vaccine shortage a few seasons ago could have been cured with additional vaccine- a concrete response to a physical problem. But, is there a vaccine we can take to inoculate ourselves against the stresses and problems of life? Though to be human is to experience hardship, we can go a long way toward mitigating difficulties by establishing intimacy with others in our lives.
.
Intimacy with others requires values such as faith, honesty, fidelity, and commitment.
In order to begin to be honest or to share with another person, we need to have a reasonable amount of faith or trust in that person- faith that we will be safe, that what we will share initially will be treated with confidentiality and integrity. Without this beginning faith, it is difficult to proceed further.
When the other person responds to our sharing in this manner, we can then continue with risk-taking honesty- the type of honesty that is gut-wrenchingly scary, but uplifting when
it too is greeted with care and with love. Fear of rejection often prevents this degree of honesty, but when we truly decide to take this leap, the other person more often than not responds in kind. The other person takes a risk too, and the reciprocity yields a closer relationship.
Over time, this deepening honesty needs the companions of fidelity and commitment for intimacy to continue. Fidelity, according to Webster, means observance of promises. In other words, do we keep our word to the other person? Do we do what we say we will do consistently- and do they?
Likewise, are we committed to the relationship? Do we stay engaged in it over the long haul or do we allow distractions to contribute to its decline?
If both parties practice fidelity and commitment, they will continue to enhance the safety, trust, and faith and therefore, the honesty in the relationship. The resulting intimacy enables us to navigate in a sometimes frightening and stressful world. It becomes a cushion for us, an “inoculation” to ease the inevitable pressures of life.
Written by Sarah Phillips. Sarah has a Master’s Degree in Psychology(M.S.), is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor(L.M.H.C.) in Florida, a National Certified Counselor(N.C.C.), a National Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor(C.C.M.H.C.), and a YB12 Life Coach.
