6 signs that your relationship has reached a closer stage

Last Updated on 2016-06-01 , 10:16 pm

1. You don’t get as many butterflies in your tummy anymore

When you first start dating someone, you get butterflies in your tummy all the time. Almost everything can make your heart flutter – Your first hug, the first time you hold hands and the first time you kiss.  But eventually, the novelty wears off. You hold hands all the time and you have had countless of hugs. I believe you don’t get as many butterflies in your tummy, maybe on special occasions when your partner surprises you with balloons and flowers. But, what replaces this fluttery feeling, is a sense of familiarity and warmth. You feel it every time you see or touch your partner.

Personally, I like the sense of familiarity, and wouldn’t trade it for anything else, but I kind of miss that lighthearted feeling I constantly felt when my partner when we just started out as a couple.

2. There are no more moments of awkward silence. 

When you first start to go out with someone, you try to fill any moment of silence with conversations; You ask random questions to keep the conversation going, just so that there is no awkward silence. In the process, you also get to know more about your partner. But as time passes, there are lesser new things to find out about each other. Not that it matters though, because both of you are now comfortable with silence. Instead of having lengthy conservations on the bus ride home, sometimes it’s also nice to just plug in your earphones and listen to each other’s playlists, or just sit in silence while holding hands.

3. You realise that your relationship does not only consist of sunshine and rainbows.

At the start, everything seems perfect. There was no room for argument and you are glowing because you feel so happy all the time. But few months or years into the relationship, you start to argue, and even the smallest things can trigger a heated argument. Maybe you’ll think that your partner has changed, “where’s the sweet and sensitive guy that I dated?” or “was she always this paranoid?” I think, when you first meet someone, they will be the best version of themselves. You can’t expect your partner to be in their “best form” all the time. You get to see the bitchy, egoistic or paranoid etc side of your partner, but I guess this is just how things work. You can’t have happy moments all the time, if you really love your partner, then you should be willing to accept their flaws and find ways to accommodate each other. It’s cliche, but every relationship has its ups and downs and you just have to work through the low periods and then the happy times will come.

4. You realise there isn’t a need for you to look glamorous all the time. 

When you just started dating, you try to look good in every selfie you send him/her, you attempt to look good every single time you meet your partner and maybe you even refrain from using vulgarities! Eventually, when you feel more at ease and comfortable with each other; You don’t even mind farting in front of each other anymore!

5. You change. 

Along the way, I feel that people subconsciously adopt some of their partner’s habits. This varies in so many ways; maybe some couples start to chuckle the same way, some start to appreciate the same kind of cuisine and maybe some couples start to use the same slang and singlish terms. I’ve heard that some couples even start to look like each other after awhile. I don’t think it’s the same as losing yourself in a relationship; it’s sort of like finding yourself in each other.

6. You don’t head out as often 

At the start of your relationship, you head out whenever you go on dates. Some couples love going to the theatres for a movie, maybe some have fun at the beach, while others go cafe hopping. But eventually someone is going to get tired of heading out every weekend, or maybe the pricey dates are burning a hole in your pockets. So you’d rather stay home. Because you can have as much as fun watching a movie online and cooking dinner together! Who said that dates are only fun when you head out or have dinner at fancy places, right?

So if you are experiencing these changes, don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. Besides, changes in a relationship are not necessarily bad!