13 Ways to Boost the Passion in Your Bedroom - How to build a great sex life in your marriage Compiled by Ashley Grace Emmert
Let’s
face it—most of us could probably stand to have a little more passion in our
marriages. That’s why we asked eight Christian marriage experts to give us their
best advice for heating things up and
restoring the connection you desire.
Sexual intimacy is God’s gift to build your marital bond; these insights will
equip you to strengthen that critical part of your relationship. Our hope is
that you’ll be so encouraged, so motivated, and so energized by these
perspectives on sex that tonight, you’ll decide to turn off the TV and instead
invest in building the passionate relationship you long for.
1. Connectedness Is Key
At its
best, physical intimacy is born out of a deep connectedness and relational
intimacy. For some couples, their greatest need might be time or rest to create
that space for one another. For others, disconnection is the norm, so they need
to spend more time moving toward one another. As a matter of fact, learning to
move toward each other in life will make moving toward each other in bed more
fulfilling, more real.
—Dr.
Kim Eckert, author of Things
Your Mother Never Told You: A Woman’s Guide to Sexuality (DrKimEckert.com)
2. Think About It
On a
practical note, sex begins in the mind. Many women’s minds are consumed with
the eight million responsibilities they have to accomplish that day, and
thoughts about sexual intimacy don’t rise to the top. But if you want better
sex, you have to think about sex. Not as a task to check off, but as a gift to
anticipate and savor.
—Dr.
Kim Eckert
3. Explain What You Want
Start
with this bottom line in getting your sexual needs met: assume that your
partner doesn’t know how to satisfy you. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been
married, beginning with this premise will help you set the stage for developing
this habit by asking for what you would like. That’s the key and research bears
it out. In one survey, 88 percent of the women who reported always discussing
their sexual feelings with their spouses described their sex lives as good or
very good. In contrast, only 30 percent of the women who reported never
discussing sex with their partners described their sex lives as good or very
good. What makes each of you happy is not necessarily the same thing. Your
needs, in fact, may be dramatically different. So, do not make the mistake of
assuming your partner knows how to meet your sexual needs if you don’t talk to
each other about it. This is rule number one for firing up passion in the
bedroom.
—Drs.
Les & Leslie Parrott, authors of Crazy
Good Sex and Making
Happy: The Art and Science of a Happy Marriage (LesAndLeslie.com)
4. Sync Your Calendars
This
sounds so cold. So unromantic. So pedantic. But make no mistake, a fulfilling
sex life for almost every busy couple depends on it. So at least once a month,
schedule a specific time when the two of you can enjoy a leisurely time of
passionate sex. We know this sounds artificial. We can hear you groaning right
now. But don’t make the mistake of thinking this advice is for “other couples.”
Every busy couple can benefit from scheduling intimacy. You can have
spontaneous sex anytime you are so inclined, but this once-a-month “meeting” is
key to firing up passion in the bedroom.
5. Do Shared Activities
Did you know that passion and intimacy plummets when a spouse
begins to associate his or her partner primarily with dirty clothes
thoughtlessly dropped on the floor, barked out orders, crying, and nagging? No
surprise, right? But so many couples ignore this fact. He plays golf with his
buddies. She attend her book club with her friends. They both may keep plenty
active, but these activities are too often segregated. And when that’s the
case, couples miss out on a weekly habit that will buoy their marriage more
than they ever imagined. Shared activity is one of the supreme gifts of married
life, and it is an insurance policy against the fading of passion and intimacy.
—Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott
6. Be Humble
We don’t often think of humility as an aphrodisiac, but the
greatest lovers are those who are unselfish, forgiving, and merciful. Couples
get stuck because they can only see what they need, they fear, or they resent.
There will be issues to work through in every sexual relationship, and humility
helps you overcome them.
—Dr. Juli Slattery, author of Pulling
Back the Shades, co-author of Passion
Pursuit: What Kind of Love Are You Making? (AuthenticIntimacy.com
and TodaysChristianWoman.com/Juli-Slattery)
7. Know that God Said It Was Good
Know that God blesses sexual intimacy. I’ve met so many women who
are squeamish about sex. They have learned somewhere along the way that
sexuality is shameful and that “good girls” shouldn’t want or enjoy it (at
least not too much!). When a woman understands that God created sex to be
exciting, adventurous, and pleasurable, and knows that she is not condemned for
past mistakes, she is free to experience great sex in marriage.
—Dr. Juli Slattery
8. Be a Safe Place
We love the sex advice given to us early on in our marriage: “Do
it often, in a way you both enjoy.” The foundation of great sex is emotional
safety. Put significant time into building a marriage that feels like the
safest place on earth—a relationship where you feel safe physically,
intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally.
—Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley, authors of the Little
Book of Great Dates and The
Wholehearted Wife: 10 Keys to a More Loving Relationship (SmalleyMarriage.com)
9. Understand Your Spouse
Wives, understand that your husband uses sex in order to connect
emotionally. When you respond or initiate sex it makes him feel respected,
appreciated, and valued. Thus, see his request for sex as a request for
connection and intimacy. Men are like a “microwave oven” when it comes to
sex—he is instantly turned on.
Husbands, understand that your wife needs to be engaged
emotionally before she will respond sexually. She needs to be emotionally
pursued, romanced, loved, and cherished. Thus, see her request to connect first
by talking and sharing as “foreplay.” Women are like “crockpots” when it comes
to sex—she needs time to warm up.
—Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley
10. Know Each Other
A vibrant sexual relationship requires great communication. We
need to be willing to share our deepest sexual feelings, fears, wants, and
desires.
The Hebrew word for “sexual intercourse” is the phrase “to know.”
Become a student of your spouse in every way, especially sexually. Ask each
other about what turns you on and what turns you off. Make it a point to stay
current about your partner’s needs, as they aren’t static.
—Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley
11. Remember Together
Reminisce about your sexual relationship. Ask questions about
your first sexual experience together, the best place you’ve made love, your
best kiss, the most spontaneous night, the most romantic time, and so on. Talk
about what you’ve enjoyed and what made these experiences exciting. Keep your
discussion focused on the positive recollections.
—Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley
12. Learn What You Both Need
The most important thing I’ve seen in the research of men and
women that increases closeness and physical intimacy in marriage is having your
eyes opened to what you probably don’t “get” about what the opposite sex needs
in this area. This changes everything! Women should know that for most men
(more than 90 percent), physical intimacy is not primarily a physical need;
it’s an emotional need. He wants to feel that you desire him—when you do, it
gives him a sense of confidence and well-being in every other area of his life.
So instead of “doing your duty,” get engaged physically, and even
initiate once in a while. It will transform the emotional climate of your
marriage!
And men, you should know that if your wife is like most women (82
percent) she probably isn’t thinking about sex during the day, so you need to
approach her differently. You need to give her time to anticipate before you
enter the bedroom. For example, flirting during the day (“Hmmm . . . after
dinner with Brad and Jeannie, maybe you and I can have dessert at home”) will
get you a very different response than asking if she’s in the mood when she’s
exhausted and getting in bed with the anticipation of sleep.
—Shaunti Feldhahn, author of The
Good News About Marriage and The
Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages (Shaunti.com)
13. Stop Overthinking It
How often have you done this: you’re lying in bed, feeling
guilty, wondering, Is he expecting something tonight? And then your
brain goes into overdrive. Do I feel like it? I don’t know. Is he due? How
many days has it been, anyway? If we start right this moment, how many hours of
sleep will I still get? The silly thing is that if you had started in the
beginning, you’d be asleep by now! We women often forget that our sex drives
are primarily in our brains.
Unlike for our husbands, arousal usually comes after you start
making love, not before. But instead of jumping in, we tend to overanalyze
things. Tonight, silence all those thoughts running through your head, and just
decide, I am going to feel good, and I am going to feel close to my
husband! If you’re mentally excited, your body tends to follow. So stop
thinking so much, and start doing!
13 Ways to Boost the Passion in Your Bedroom - How to build a great sex life in your marriage Compiled by Ashley Grace Emmert
Reviewed by Awareness
on
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
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