Being in a romantic relationship is a project all on its own. You grow and experience new things together. It can be going to an event from your SOs culture to learning how to pay your taxes. You’re letting a person see a personal side of you. People in relationships never tell you the struggles of being in them because you only see the facade of them being happy together. Let me tell you, these past four months of responsibility, passion, and a whole lot of love have taught me a lot. Here are some things I learned about the realities of being in a relationship.
1. As an individual, you deserve the best. If your SO helps you do anything and everything, it’s worth it. For example, my boyfriend helped me move out and clean the whole room at the end of Spring semester of sophomore year. Remember that you deserve the best!
2. It will munch up your money. From gifts to dates, you’re gonna have to sacrifice some greens to continue the growth of your relationship. If you don’t have a lot to spend, get creative! Figure out who’s paying for meals and gas too.
3. It’s time-consuming. It takes a long time to know someone. Take your time– text them if you need them for anything. Spend a couple of weekends with them and go MIA from your social life for a bit. Just remember that you should want to be with your significant other.
4. The honeymoon phase is real. The honeymoon phase could take months or even years to get out of. Enjoy it and have fun. The memories of being in this phase will make your relationship stronger.
5. Know your love language. Whether it’s quality time, gifts, physical touch, words of affirmation or acts of service, everyone has a different way of showing affection. In fact, people who have similar love languages usually end up together. Want to know more about love languages? Click here
6. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. While being in a relationship, you should be comfortable asking questions. Whether it’s what show they want to watch during the fall TV season or what they want on their pizza. You should want to get it right.
7. Honesty is the best policy. You should not have any problems with this if you have a healthy relationship. If you are having problems with being honest with your SO, you’re better off being alone.
8. Don’t let social media ruin your relationship. It’s likely said that the best relationships aren’t posted on social media. Friends won’t be asking you about them every time you hang out with. Save your #mcm or #wcw Instagram for anniversaries/special days! Don’t post for the likes, post because you’re proud of your relationship.
9. It’s a lot of planning. When, where and how are so important when it comes to dates. Skype dates for LDRs are easy but once the dates are IRL it gets a little complicated. Dating takes a lot of planning and executing.
10. With every great relationship comes great responsibility. Treat a relationship as a personal responsibility. You should WANT this relationship. If you don’t want the responsibility of a relationship do not be in one. Relationships do come naturally, but the commitment and responsibility is a choice.
All gifs are from Giphy.
In the end, it’s all worth it. The sacrifices you make for this person will reflect on what you put in the relationship. That’s what really matters.