Embracing discussions about personal well-being is long overdue. Intimacy, to be precise. It’s time to normalize conversations around this crucial aspect often overlooked in healthy relationships. Developing a thriving connection between partners involves clear communication about desires and needs. However, achieving such openness can be challenging due to existing stigmas regarding personal discussions. Nonetheless, the benefits are substantial. Anna Nowak and Alicia Berg, founders of Made Hot STHLM AB and pioneers in fostering healthy relationships, are guiding us toward cultivating a more robust approach to personal well-being in relationships.

“Intimate well-being is being in a healthy, thriving relationship where you and your partner have clear communication about your needs before, during, and after intimate moments,” explains Nowak. “It’s important to have clear and healthy conversations about what you want to do, what you want to explore, and what you want to educate yourself on.”

The Sensitive Topic

The societal stigma surrounding personal well-being poses a widespread issue impacting individuals globally. Frequently rooted in the cultural or national background of an individual, specific countries tend to prioritize traditional values and beliefs concerning private matters. In some instances, these traditional values are handed down from one generation to another, creating an atmosphere where discussions on subjects like personal intimacy are infrequent, regarded as private, and deemed sensitive.

“I was born in Poland, and personal matters are not open for conversation. It is assumed that when you get into a committed relationship, you will automatically know how to navigate intimate moments. Unfortunately, your family isn’t teaching you anything, and neither are the schools. Not anything of real value in this area anyway. And that is frightening,” says Nowak.

Insufficient education in schools frequently perpetuates this stigma, leaving young individuals without a dependable source for information on healthy behavior or practices. The absence of proper guidance on crucial subjects like communication, consent, and enjoyable aspects of relationships makes it more likely for adverse stigmas surrounding personal matters to persist unchallenged.

“Nobody is teaching how the dynamics in a healthy relationship are supposed to be. For example, how can we be intimate with our partners and not just in a physical way? It’s not just about one person’s pleasure but the other person’s as well. So often, both individuals are afraid of speaking up and explaining what they want to feel and explore because we have been taught that we are not supposed to,” says Berg.

Considering the stigma associated with expressing our needs and desires in a relationship holds significance. Numerous individuals find it uneasy to engage in discussions about these subjects with their partners, apprehensive about potential judgment or rejection rooted in societal views on personal matters. Such discomfort can result in a communication gap within relationships, ultimately affecting satisfaction and pleasure adversely. 

Normalizing the Conversation Around Personal Well-being

To promote the normalization of personal well-being in a relationship, consider these steps: initiate with small gestures and an open mind, establish an environment conducive to honest communication about desires and boundaries, embark on exploring fantasies together in a secure setting, and cultivate the practice of attentive listening without judgment.

“Ensure you open up the conversation at the right time and place. There is no point in starting a personal well-being conversation when you are feeling like it, but your partner is a million miles away in their head. It won’t go well,” shares Berg. “Start small. For example, many card games on the market will make exploring personal conversations fun for both you and your partner.”

Why does personal well-being hold such significance? Well, cultivating positive attitudes towards individual matters and exploring diverse aspects of it can contribute to enhanced self-esteem, more gratifying relationships, and an overall improvement in well-being. 

Additionally, establishing an open dialogue about personal well-being can be advantageous for all involved parties. Incorporating practices such as maintaining healthy boundaries, building trust, and exploring various fantasies are just a few avenues through which relationships can evolve into more satisfying and fulfilling experiences. Furthermore, research suggests that couples engaged in effective communication generally experience lower overall conflict in their relationships.

Normalizing personal well-being within a relationship is crucial for fostering an emotionally supportive environment, enabling both partners to express themselves freely. It’s essential to acknowledge that developing effective communication is a gradual process requiring time and effort. However, the rewards, including physical and emotional satisfaction, far outweigh any initial discomfort. Through commitment, self-awareness, and open communication, couples can enjoy the advantages of a robust personal relationship, and these benefits extend well beyond private moments.

Published by: Aly Cinco