4 Amazing Ways to Navigating The Honeymoon Phase in Your Relationship
It always ends for everyone
If at any point in your life, you’ve been in love, there are chances you’ve been through the honeymoon phase. It’s a feeling that happens usually at the beginning of your relationship and can last for a few months or a year.
This is a period where you see no flaw in your partner and everything feels perfect. Even things you hate ordinarily don’t seem to bother you. You are smitten by this person and it feels so good to have them love you back.
At the moment, you feel that your life couldn’t get any better. It’s all beautiful and you want this phase to go on forever.
However, this honeymoon phase will certainly come to an end. But the truth is that we get carried away during this phase that we do not prepare for the next phase. Although, the honeymoon phase coming to an end is not a bad thing. However, the fact that we believe it’s a forever thing can scare you when things go south.
Therefore, it would be beautiful if you prepare yourself because this transition is a way to a stronger bond with your partner. Which can only happen when you know how to deal with your emotions after this phase.
How to Navigate Through The Honeymoon Phase
There is a saying “nothing lasts forever”. Usually, several relationships end after the honeymoon phase. This is because, after this phase, they begin to see their partner’s flaws and thus result in a breakup. On the contrary, you can make yours different by working through it.
Here are 4 ways to work this phase-out.
Recognize and accept differences
You need to accept the fact that you have different backgrounds and this would contribute a lot to your relationship. Although, it may be difficult to identify personality differences during the honeymoon phase. However, accepting that you grew up differently and life has shaped you in different ways would help your relationship when the next phase happens.
Ask questions
While it is beautiful and sweet to stay in the moment and avoid discussing real issues because you are scared of ruining your new relationship. It is really necessary to ask questions, hold meaningful conversations regarding the future during the honeymoon phase.
Ask questions on their belief, marriage, if they desire a long or short term commitment with you and in fact about life generally. However, this should be approached with caution.
Knowing these things early will make it easier to make your relationship work since you’ll know where you stand. However, if talking about these essential relationship topics leads to a breakup( which is a legitimate fear in the early phases), remember that while it’s difficult, it’s best to learn about these incompatibilities early on, before your feelings get stronger.
This is because if your relationship has progressed beyond the honeymoon phase and you’ve discovered irreconcilable differences, it’ll be much more difficult to break up since your feelings will be stronger.
Set healthy patterns
If you desire a healthy relationship that would keep going fine after the honeymoon phase, you need to make rules and set patterns that would guide your relationship. This is usually set at the beginning of the relationship. As humans, we enjoy being spontaneous. However, when it comes to making a relationship between two people work, you need to form a habit — good ones. This is because, at the beginning of your relationship, you tend to see your partner as one who will do no wrong. As a result, you allow them to get away with behaviors you would not ordinarily allow. This might include issues such as communication habits, egoistic habits, etc.
However, overlooking issues like this for so long tend to cause a huge fight.
Therefore, while it is lovely to enjoy each other’s company and completely embrace the frenzied feeling of the honeymoon phase. It is also necessary to ensure that you’re setting healthy boundaries early on to ensure the success of your relationship.
Although you can decide to make alterations over time as the relationship evolves. But it is more difficult if strong boundaries are not set early on. All these are just a way to ensure your partner is on the same page with you.
You might feel inclined to just go with the flow, especially because defining some of these boundaries can be difficult or unpleasant. However, postponing the topic in the early stages of your relationship can only make it more difficult to bring up later on.
Embrace reality
Love is beautiful. However, as you know, your relationship cannot stay in this phase forever. As a result, reality sets in. When this occurs, do not panic. Instead, embrace this sense of normalcy. It shows that you and your partner are becoming more at ease with one another which is healthy if you are interested in a serious relationship.
Nevertheless, if you want a long-lasting relationship, you should not worry about it becoming normal. But rather about embracing this normalcy and acknowledging it as a step in the right direction. This is the point you discover your compatibility with your partner.
Finally, it is worth noting that this stage is one of the phases relationships would pass through. It comes with its negative and positive sides and both need to be embraced.
However, just because this phase is over does not mean your relationship is over. This should only serve as a source of strength and growth.