Do you want more happiness, intimacy and depth in your relationships? Learning how to build emotional connection can help you feel more connected with your partner, family, friends and coworkers.
What is emotional connection?
Emotional connection may mean different things to different individuals, but there are certain commonalities which can be found in general. It can be defined as a collection of individual feelings which lead to the formation of a relationship between individuals. According to Everyday Health, it refers to a bond you share with someone based on certain emotions and how secure they make you feel in the relationship. Without a strong connection based on emotions, a relationship cannot sustain for a long time.
“Being in a relationship means so much more than feeling the connection of a relationship. That’s because connection is something you maintain and work on every day while being in a relationship is the result of that work and not a given,” writes Irina Damascan on Medium.
Also read: Is Your Relationship Experiencing A Connection Crisis
Bestselling author and empowerment coach Shani Jay explains that feeling connected with someone on an emotional level means that we are attracted to them on a more psychological level that is beyond mere physical attraction. She writes “It means you value their mind and spirit, and can have deep and meaningful conversations with them. You feel like they understand you in a way that not many people do.”
This forms the very foundation of a healthy and successful relationship. However, it is crucial that we cultivate these connections and feed our emotions throughout our lives. Jay adds “Without either of these components, a relationship is very unlikely to last. To a certain extent, an emotional connection can be built and strengthened over time if both partners are willing to work on it.”
21 ways to build emotional connection
Learning how to develop an emotional connection can enable us to create a secure bond with someone and feel emotionally safe. This can help to boost our sense of self worth and self esteem. Therapist Teresa Maples-Zuvela explains “Safety and developing a secure bond in the relationship can be created by improving true emotional connection with your partner. That means doing some things differently to improve your relationship.”
Also read: The Choices of Connection: How To Make Your Relationship Meaningful
If you wish to build a healthy, secure and deeply connected relationship with someone, then here are a few ways you can create an unbreakable bond through emotional connection.
1. Develop trust
Creating a sense of solid trust is crucial for any relationship. When you want to develop a connection with someone, whether it’s your partner or a friend, you need to focus on building trust naturally. Trust will lead the way to developing secure feelings.
2. Understand them
Observe and understand the person you want to be emotionally close with. Try to look at things from their perspective and imagine why they behave and act the way they do. Trying to put yourself in their shoes will help you know them better and respect them more. Be more empathic in your approach.
3. Accept them
Real emotional connection occurs when you unconditionally accept the person for they are, including their flaws or imperfections. Be non-judgmental about them. Although you may not like certain aspects about them, you should accept them in their truest form. That means you don’t make it your mission to “fix” them according to your perception of what they should be like. Just remember you’re not perfect either.
4. Allow them to be their genuine self
When you accept her as she is and realize that they might not do everything that you like or prefer, you allow them to be themselves around you. When they feel they will not be judged or criticized for their actions or behaviors, they will feel confident about opening up and being vulnerable. Let them know that you appreciate them as they are. This will deepen the emotional connection and both of you will be able to share your hopes, dreams and fears with each other.
