Newly in Love? Do’s and Don’ts When Starting a New Relationship

Being in a new relationship is a euphoric feeling, and we can get swept up in the passion, but there are quite a few things to keep in mind when entering into this beginning phase of the relationship with your new partner.

Do: add variety to your dates.

After you’ve already gone on your first few dates, it can be easy to fall into a pattern of going out to eat or staying into Netflix and Chill, but keeping up the spice of life is important, and it’ll help kindle the flame between you and your new significant other. It doesn’t have to be extravagant or crazy, but doing something a little different each time you go on a date is a great idea.

Cook dinner at home together instead of going out, meet with your friends or their friends, and spend the evening together (this also gives you the chance to see how your partner interacts and gets along with your friends because your friends are just as important as your partner).

Don’t: Use your phone frequently on dates.

These beeping miniature computers are the most distracting things, but all you should focus on while you’re with your partner is your partner. Keeping eye contact and being an active listener will increase your connection and keep both of you more engaged in the conversation. Giving them your full attention is important to keep both of you engaged and in the moment.

Do: Balance yourself in in-person and online interactions.

In the present day with online dating being the primary way that people find love, a lot of the interactions and communication with your new partner can happen through texting or the two of you can become used to communicating that way. But textual chemistry only matters if it translates to your real-life interactions! Make sure that you’re balancing the amount of interaction that you have between texting and seeing each other in person. Try saving up those juicy anecdotes for being in person, because it’ll be more enriching to see each other when you tell them!

Don’t: Spend every single second together.

New relationships are sweet, and especially in the first few months, you’ll want to spend every waking hour talking to and seeing your significant other. It’s important to maintain your independence, even once you begin to intermingle your life with another person. Find your happiness in other things outside of your partner, as well, like your friends. Being too attached at the hip can put pressure on the relationship as well. Take it easy!

Do: Communicate, communicate, communicate.

“Communication is key” is the most oversaid relationship advice ever, but it’s so true, especially in a new relationship. With new love, everything is still developing and there are growing pains. Don’t communicate constantly, but frequently. You don’t need to be in touch 24 hours a day, but you should be in touch with your partner often, even if it isn’t by seeing them in person, and it’s just a simple text.

More important than that, though, is to communicate effectively. There’s no point in speaking with each other often if neither of you understands the other, so it’s important that you make sure that your line of communication is clear, and that will only help in developing the closeness between two people that can only come with time, and this will help to make your relationship last.

Don’t: Think too far ahead into the future

It can spook a partner if heavy topics like marriage and kids come up too early at the beginning of the relationship, so these are things to avoid bringing up. It’s something that you should think about because the desire to get married or to have kids at some point in the future is important to value, but it isn’t something that needs to be brought up at the very beginning of a relationship.

Do: Be affectionate.

In the beginning, there can be a lot of mixed signals, so not being afraid to show your affection and your true feelings, and feeling that they’re reciprocal can increase the closeness between you and your partner. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable with your significant other will only strengthen your relationship as well, and it’s important to remember that it isn’t a weakness.

Don’t: Ignore the Red Flags.

In the early stages of a relationship, it’s easy to not notice or write off things that would otherwise be a bad sign. It can be hard to see past the passion of the start of dating a new partner, but it’s important to see the bad behaviors for what they really are.

Dating is complicated, and being in a new relationship is even more difficult to maneuver, but with these tips, navigating a relationship can be easier.