Intimacy is back on the cards. Hugging, kissing and even sex is allowed from 17th May. Indoor meetings and social contact are part of the next stage of lockdown easing, meaning that casual sex is now on the table (even literally, if you so wish!). 

However, after over a year of lockdown, there haven’t been any chances of bumping into someone at a club and going home with them, which to some was an important part of a night out. After all this time though, imagining life without social distancing is going to be hard enough, but being that close to someone, sharing a bed with them, touching them – it’s going to be strange. I don’t know how else to describe it. From being forced to be physically distant from people to then being physical with people, it’s a complete transformation and one that is going to take some time to get our heads around. 

Perhaps you are in a relationship, which has now become long distance because of lockdown, and this is the first chance you have to reconnect with your partner. Or maybe you were in a relationship that broke down during lockdown, so you haven’t had a chance to have a rebound. Or you are bored of sitting in single in front of Netflix and need to meet some new people to have fun with. In all these situations, no matter which one you are in, you are bound to feel nervous; I know I am. This is unsurprising. It goes against everything we have had to do over the last year or so. It’s going to take time to return to ‘normal’, including in our sex lives.

Intimacy is personal and it’s okay to be afraid to let other people be intimate with you. This time period has pushed us apart for so long, so the desire for intimacy might be there but the desire to get back out there may take a little while longer. Everyone has their own pace, especially with what they want to do at each stage of lockdown easing. Our sex lives should be no exception to this now that sex is an option available to us. Always take life at your own speed, including your sex life. After over a year of waiting, waiting a little bit longer before getting intimate with someone else is completely understandable. It is important to not put pressure on yourself and not just do what you think you should be doing or follow what other people are doing. 

You must listen to yourself. Follow what your head and body are telling you to do. No one else can decide when’s the right time for you. But when you do feel ready, enjoy yourself. 

Be sexy but be safe.

Image courtesy of Zane Lee.