Choosing Intimacy After A Hard Season of Stress

Couple embracing choosing love during stress

Sometimes life gets so loud, stressful, or heavy, couple intimacy gets caught in the crossfire. Intimacy often fades because life pressures pull couples' hearts into survival mode. The truth is that conflict, trauma, financial strain, health scares, or emotional exhaustion can shake intimacy even in the strongest marriages. And it’s not because the love is gone but because life can be so stressful and heavy that intimacy gets caught in the crossfire.

For a healthy marriage, it is important to restore intimacy. Choose to rebuild intimacy. Think of intimacy like a garden. Storms may flatten the flowers, but storms don’t destroy roots. With the right care, what once looked fragile can grow back stronger, deeper, and more connected than before. Rebuild slowly, intentionally, and beautifully for a great harvest.

Here’s something every couple should know - stress impacts intimacy.

Not because anything is “wrong,” but because the body is designed to prioritize survival over connection. In fact, chronic stress reduces emotional availability, lowers desire, and increases irritability. But what’s important to understand is stress does not mean love is missing. A key foundational Biblical principle is to always practice Godly love based on 1 Corinthians 13. During stress, consider 1 Corinthians 13:4: “Love is patient…”. The fundamental best practice is to stay and lean in, even during times of stress and emotional distance.

Practical Step:

Name the stress together. Stress unspoken becomes stress unmanaged.