RISE Library: Articles on Sex, Intimacy, and Communication 

It’s 10:30 at night. You’ve both worked all day, handled dinner, chores, and maybe the kids, and you’re finally in bed. One of you rests a hand on the other’s thigh, and the other person starts wondering what it means. Is this affection? Are they trying to initiate sex? For someone who's already exhausted or stressed, having to figure that out can feel like one more thing to deal with at the end of a long day. Most of us were never taught how to initiate sex. We learned from

You say yes to something your partner asks, even though you really want to say no. Maybe you're trying to avoid an argument, or you're worried they'll be disappointed or upset with you. So you tell yourself it's not a big deal and agree anyway. It feels like the easiest choice in the moment, especially when you don't know how your partner might react if you were honest. The wish that you'd said no doesn't just disappear, though. Each time you agree to something you don't real

You're struggling with your sex life, you're desperately missing your partner, and every time you try to talk about it, they change the subject, get irritated, or simply stay silent. Eventually, you stop bringing it up, even though the wanting hasn't gone away. In that silence, your mind starts filling in the gaps with assumptions you haven't checked for accuracy, leaving you wondering whether you're incompatible, whether your partner still loves you, or whether this is the b