With national health guidelines suggesting we avoid social spaces amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are wondering how they can get their social — and intimate — needs met while balancing their concerns about our personal and community health. The good news is that we can still develop and maintain our connections to people, even if we're scaling back our social lives.
Apps have been a primary way to maintain relationships, and they've never been more relevant than right now. We're used to using social networking apps to keep up with each other's lives, and dating-focused apps, like #open, can be an amazing way to make sure that we're still nurturing our intimate needs as well!
Before you say, "Shouldn't your mind be on things other than dating or sex?", let's stop for a moment. Think about the things that we do to feel happy, safe, and connected. For most of us, intimacy — whether sexual, sensual, emotional, or physical — is a critical part of that. And many of us enjoy destressing with a flirty date, some hot sex, or some skin-to-skin snuggling. Intimacy is part of health, and it deserves to be discussed — and maintained as a priority — during times of heightened stress.
Some tips to keep in mind: