Is physical intimacy needed?

Is it needed for a committed relationship? May be it is needed for dating, to explore your options, physically. I don't know. It's never been a priority in my life. I just see day-to-day couples (long distance) cheat on each other because they are unable to get physical satisfaction. But, what about just living with the desire of physical intimacy, and holding onto that long distance love?

In my opinion, it starts to matter after a while. A while as in - years. It also depends on your tolerance, the kind of person you are, the kind of relationship you have, expectations, trust, time, how you manage the problem etc. But being in a long distance relationship definitely does not give you the license to cheat on somebody. I did something like this a while ago - but it wasn't because of the lack of physical intimacy, we were on the verge of breaking, and I guess I just wanted an easy way out. I am not proud of myself for that.

If you've been single for a few years, like I have after my first relationship - you live with the pain of not having emotional or physical intimacy. If you decide to screw around in that time, then that's a different story. The truth is, women need both emotional and physical intimacy. I believe, it's a part of strengthening your bond, but it is not necessary. There are people who cannot live without it. On the flip side, people also consider physical intimacy as a blessing of single-ness. Because they can go for short term physical intimacy, anywhere they like, without commitments, and without ever having to see them again.

Some people may write an entire article about sexuality over the comments section of this blog. I can get into it too, but I don't want to. The purpose of this post was to clear that in MY opinion, physical intimacy is NOT necessary for commitment. I've had relationships where I've enjoyed holding the person's hand and sharing a much intense emotional intimacy, discussing secrets and the many facets of life. And there have been other times, where I haven't felt a thing emotionally even being physically intimate with somebody. It really depends. On you, your partner, your relationship.

What I missed the most about physical intimacy in my single-ness was cuddling and affection. I am picky about long term relationships and I take long to decide whether I want to be in one. And when people are single, the first word that comes to mind is - *freedom.* I don't understand? The freedom of f*cking around? No, thank you! I just end up missing the physical touch and comfort that only a significant other can give, but that does not mean I cannot live without it. On the other hand, for people who are sexually active may miss this feeling more than others. Sometimes, people communicate through the body to forget all their frustrations and to bond.

I will stop rambling now. This post is a bit scattered in terms of thoughts. It was initiated by an episode I watched on a show, where the man cheated on his amazing long distance girlfriend, because he just missed having the physical intimacy so much. And I just thought to myself, is it worth giving up an amazing relationship, and a wonderful partner, to satisfy your hormones for a few minutes?