What does intimacy mean to you in your life? To me it’s a genuine sense of closeness and connection with another person; not just a romantic feeling, rather a deep understanding and closeness that is felt by both people. Because of my dark experiences that started at a young age, I have developed a deep-rooted fear of intimacy.  I’ve built up walls to keep people away and not let them in due to my low-self-esteem.  I have difficulty trusting others, sharing my feelings and emotions, and making a commitment. I used to fear being rejected, hurt by, or losing people I did get close to. In recovery I’m learning to create a safe space where I’m more vulnerable with others which is helping break this cycle and allowing others to get close to me. I’ve learned that even though I may still get hurt and lose people who I care about, it’s still worth it to not live-in fear anymore. I deserve to be close to others and I deserve to be happy.