Stretched Too Thin by Jessica N. Turner

Author:Jessica N. Turner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Self-Help;REL012070;SEL035000;REL012130
ISBN: 9781441246189
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2018-06-24T16:00:00+00:00

In which of these areas do you and your significant other experience intimacy? Which types of intimacy occur regularly, and which types could use some cultivating? Were certain types of intimacy new to you? When I was introduced to this list, I was immediately struck by “work intimacy” and recognized how much shared work means to me. For example, in our house, I tend to do most of the laundry. One day last week I came home to a stack of folded sheets that Matthew had taken care of while I was at work. I was caught off guard by how happy this simple act made me. I shared the experience and my happiness with Dr. Kristie Overstreet, a clinical sexologist, who affirmed my reaction, saying, “Doesn’t that kind of make a part of you say, ‘Oh, that’s wonderful!’ And then, even if it’s a little bit subconscious, next time he needs you to do something, or asks, you’re right there probably doing it. And you kind of think, ‘Well, hey, he helped me do this, so I’m going to help him do that.’ And that’s how you collaborate and really help meet each other’s needs.”2

That simple stack of folded sheets is an excellent example of just one of the types of intimacy we need to share. Ultimately, all the different types of intimacy play a role in the health of our relationship, the tenderness we feel toward each other, and our emotions. Tending to each of them as well as recognizing where we fall short and working on those areas will strengthen our relationship.

For parents who work, feelings of being stretched too thin can make connecting harder. And in many houses, both parents are working. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Among families with children, 89.3 percent had at least one employed parent in 2015. Among married-couple families with children, 96.7 percent had at least one employed parent; both parents worked in 60.6 percent of married-couple families.”3 If you fall into this last category and feel your marriage is not getting your best, consider the following tips for ways to strengthen your relationship. These are all things we know instinctually but might need to be reminded of for our day-to-day relationship.

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