During the first few months up until the first year (aka the Honeymoon Phase), the overwhelming feeling of utter adoration and butterflies in your stomach for your significant other and feeling like this love will always be there comes without much doubt. ButĀ inevitably, things calm down and the butterflies subside.

All of us, at one point or another, feel likeĀ our relationship has reached a plateau. We don’t think it requires that much work and therefore start getting paranoid just as things start to get a little stale and boring. Sometimes, you might feel as though the spark that you once had is starting to fade away and do not necessarilyĀ understand what to do.Ā Too often, people take this downturn in intensity to be a sign that the love is dying, or at least dimming when the truth is, most of the time, you are simply settling in. In fact, for those of you who feel like this is the end of your relationship, ease up, this is only the beginning!

1. You Feel More Comfortable and Less Anxious

When you first start dating someone with prospective future plans, nerves come out into play to some extent and start getting out of control. What if something goes wrong and you get your heart broken or break theirs? What if you never find love again? This, right there, is the scariest feeling. However, once you feel like you have settled in and the love has taken a full-grownĀ shape, you can finally relax from the beautiful yetĀ exhausting nurturing you have been giving the relationship at the beginning to ensure it survives.

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2. You Aren’t Trying To Impress One Another As Much

It is never a great idea to lie even if it is to impress. Well, what if everything goes well for a while (and it probably will with all the lies)? You have cornered yourself with false pretenses. Will you keep up the fake act? Or will you finally admit to being full of shit? Never lie. At the beginning, we always want to make ourselves seem more intelligent, more together and more charming and that’s okay. Ideally, it is better if your partner makes you feel great the way you are. Hopefully, your desire to evolve more and be a better mate will increase well beyond the honeymoon phase butĀ damn, it really is nice to get to the point where you can be around them in a ponytail, no makeup, sweat pants, eating food while watching bad TV all day. No, you do not always do that but it would be nice that when you do and feel comfortable enough, you will know that they will still love you anyway!

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3. Mistakes Matter Less

Little mistakes and flaws carry much less consequence the further you get into a relationship. Knowing someone new is also very stressful because this person does not know you at all and the tiniest action or word-go-wrong can change your image instantly. On the other hand, once you become more familiar to your partner, these little things will not matter and will cease to have a significant impact in your relationship.

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4. You Have a Little History

Now, trying out new things with your partner at the beginning of dating is romantic and you find that every moment you spend together is a preciousĀ memory of profoundĀ importance yet after the honeymoon phase you find out a whole different level. Once you start doing more activities together you find out that the new things you do now reminds you of old things that you shared together before. It it sort of like a mini history, which is very cute! Not to mention all the private stories, inside jokes and secret eye language. Now, you must admit it.. CUTENESS!

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5. You Become More Decisive

TheĀ more amenable person in the relationship becomes more decisive and less inclined to do things they don’t really feel like doing. They finally get to say “NO”! For example: gone are the days when they come with you to that Sandra Bullock movie you really wanted to see or going out for Ethiopian food which tastes like nothing to them. Now you get to go to the movies with your girl friends or him for Ethiopian food with his. This is also healthy, because it gives you time for the other aspects of your life that you have forgotten their existence for the first few months because of all the love that has taken over your mind. You get to miss one another more thereby making your time together more special.

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6. You Become Much More Bearable For People To Be Around

Before, in the honeymoon phase, whenever you used to hang out with friends, you used to be so lovey-dovey that people just can’t be around you for too long. Always whispering in each others’ ears, cuddling way too obviously in front of people or leaving early to have some alone time. Why come in the first place? And oh, what’s even worse is talking about how great your relationship is and how much in love you guys are? I mean there is nothing worse than listening to this crap! And I gotta admit, people get pretty relieved when you come six months later with relationship issues (not necessarily big ones, they shouldn’t be that awful). Anyway,once all of this is over, you realize that you haveĀ finally mellowed out in public.Ā Ā So you might be sad that your honeymoon period is over, but take some comfort in the fact that everyone around you is thrilled.Ā 

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