Sometimes just being intimate can become far more fulfilling than sex. Human contact can ease our anxiety and help us to unwind with the release of the stress-relieving hormone, oxytocin! Whether you're waiting until marriage, identify as asexual, or simply wish to find other ways to connect with your partner, these sex alternatives are sure to provide plenty of love and bonding!
1. Cuddle.
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Cuddling has tons of health benefits and there are endless ways to get snuggle it out. It's intimate, warm, and oh-so-relaxing! It's one of the best ways to spend bonding with your cuddly partner.
2. Couples Yoga.
Talk about getting into each other's space bubble while also sharing the spiritual energy and the burning of your glutes! It's slow, quiet, relaxing, and perfect for getting fit together.
3. Massage each other.
Clothes optional! But after a long day, sometimes what you really need from your partner is human touch that requires no commitment or energy in return. It's intimate and so utterly sweet!
4. Stand and hold each other silently.
Nothing compares to simply holding each other with no words needing to be exchanged for a long time. Just feel their breath, their heart beat, their hair. Hold them like you could never let them go. Swaying slowly makes it even better!
5. Paint each other.
Using a body as a canvas for fingerpainting is extremely fun and special. You can face paint, body paint, create hand/foot print art on a tile and then frame it. There are so many fun ways to bond over magical colors on skin!
6. Foreplay or making out only.
Keep it slow and sweet. Knowing there is no end goal takes out the expectations and leaves two people just looking to express their affection. It reminds you to hold back and allows you to really enjoy every second you're with them.
7. Brush or play with their hair.
BEST FEELING! Get out those combs and brushes and just gently play with their hair. Whisper in their ears from behind and peck a kiss on their cheek when they least expect it.
8. Help Them Shave.
One of the most intimate and trust-building things you can do is carefully (without slices them up!) help your partner shave. It requires you to be patient, close, and cautious. The slowing down creates such a warm and intimate environment! You wouldn't trust just anybody with a razor but there's a good chance you could come to trust your partner with your body.
9. Meditate.
Share the journey and mental growth of meditation together. Breathe in sync, sit facing each other with legs crossed, and even hold hands. Play some soft music and you're both sure to feel invigorated.
10. Talk about secret/private things
Don't be afraid to talk about the past, your fears of the future, or your feelings in the present. It helps you to know your partner on a deeper level, one where you can both share and relate on things that most could never admit openly.
11. Take a bath in swimsuits or clothes.
What can be more fun than a pool party in your bathtub with your favorite person?
12. Cook together.
Get close. Cook yummy food. Work together. And even be a little cuddly!
13. Start a project.
Collaborate on a project you woud love to complete. Try to pick an activity that won't cause bickering, though. The whole point is to do something fun and stress-free that requires team work and feels like a triumph when completed!
14. Play Twister.
Get super close while still trying to win at something (make the loser have to go out and buy you cupcakes)!
15. Feed each other
Food and your loving partner together in one setting?! What could be greater? Oh yeah, having them feed it to you! Romantic and sweet!
16. Learn ballroom dancing.
Go to classes, learn online, or just dance it out in your own way! No matter what, you'll be smiling and laughing while learning each other's every move.
17. Build a pillow or blanket fort.
Return to your childhood and get building! Pillow forts are a ton of fun and require your to smoosh to fit inside. Camp out in the living room or make one in the closet that you can cuddle up together whenever!
18. Take a nap together.
In the daytime, jump on a sofa and just sleep it out while you cozy up with blankets and sunshine!
19. Help them accomplish their dream on the bucket list!
Nothing beats helping someone you love accomplish something they believed they could never do. Give them motivation and be with them all along the way. You'll bond over it and hold such memories in your hearts forever!
