Can You Have a Relationship Without Relations?

The guy I've been seeing told me something interesting the other day. Only when you are in a relationship can you get those rare, insightful views on the world of men. "Every guy I know tells me that if I like having sex, don't get married," he informed me. It's safe to assume I shouldn't expect a ring anytime soon.

There comes a point in every relationship, married or no, that the sex begins to dwindle. In the beginning, everything is hot, everything is good, everyone is still totally into it. After all, it's all new. There are still positions you haven't tried and sexual acts still to explore. But after a while, you've already done it all and found what works best. Sex is no longer fun. It's just something you do, and usually not at all as often as you used to.

Married, single, with kids or without, real life usually gets in the way of a sex life. Someone's tired, someone's stressed out, you gained five pounds and you're nervous about your flab - there's always something else going on to take your mind off sex. There are times when even watching late night television seems more interesting than getting in bed with your partner. Is it just that the routine is getting to us, the way all routines eventually get to us?

Can you have a relationship…without the relations? The decline of sex life is the beginning of a break up. Sometimes, your relationship can be put back on track before it derails completely, but in many cases a bad sex life becomes a quick slide into completely separate lives - without each other. No relationship, no matter how great it might be, can survive without the sex.

That's one of the difficult things about human nature.

And here's the thing: good sex goes a long way toward healing other problems in the relationship. If you're good together in bed, you can usually learn how to be good together outside of it, too. Sex can naturally heal wounds and tears in the fabric of the relationship, so it's important to maintain a healthy sex life. Don't be afraid to mix it up, go back to trying to new things or make love in different places. Maintaining a good sex life is key to maintaining a good relationship.