Is there anyone you’ve ever had a “kind of relationship” with? You act as if you’re in a relationship even though the parameters of the relationship are still pending. What’s more, even if you may have the intimacy and emotional connection or the fantastic chemistry, you haven’t acknowledged it. In our ever-evolving modern dating environment, we have a phrase for this: the situationship.
There are times when you are in a situationship, and there are times when you are in a committed relationship. Between the two extremes, it is a type of limbo. Even for those who have been in this gray region for some time, figuring out how to get around can be difficult.
Approach your relationship in the right way. You’ll be able to move from casual dating to a committed partnership. If you do it incorrectly, it is possible to get caught in the “grey area” for considerably longer.
Then, why are you still in a relationship with this person?
Fortunately, it’s possible to discover why you’re still in that predicament and move on. Once you’ve figured out what’s keeping you from moving forward, you may determine the best next step.
1. When you first meet the individual, you have a lot of conflicting feelings about them. However, even if they are really handsome or intellectually fascinating, you may not have an emotional connection with them. When you’re just partially satisfied, it’s hard to let go of someone because you’re afraid — or perhaps hoping — that an emotional connection will grow.
Just enough to keep things moving, but not enough to make a lasting commitment. Breaking up with the person may be the best course of action in this scenario. There is undoubtedly someone else with whom you can have a long-lasting relationship and be completely yourself. To find a new partner who can better meet your needs, you may need to put in the time and effort to do so.
2. As a result, you don’t want to go it alone. You may have recently had a rough breakup, or you may have been feeling lonely. In any case, you don’t want to be alone at this moment. Due to the lack of commitment, you may end up settling for anything less than ideal.
It’s possible that you’ll be ready to return to single life and begin looking again after a few weeks or months of being in a situationship.
3. You’re not in the mood for a long-term commitment. It’s possible that you’re still stuck because you’re afraid of making a long-term commitment. Even though you may genuinely like the person a lot, and they may also like you, you’re frightened to take the jump because you had a horrible experience in your prior relationship.
If this sounds like you, take a look back at your prior relationships to see if there is anything you can do to put them behind you. After all, you don’t want to miss out on a terrific new relationship because you’ve accumulated too much emotional baggage from your former relationship.
4. A lack of focus is to blame. You may not have time to think about dating or other personal concerns if you have a very busy schedule. You may have unwittingly established up a friendship with benefits arrangement.
As a result of your work, education, or other obligations, you may already have too much on your plate. This could be preventing you from taking the next step with the person you’re dating. Having a clear notion of what you want in a relationship before settling for a “kind of” relationship is a smart idea.
5. You don’t want to offend the other person’s sensibilities in any way possible. Trying to avoid hurting someone’s feelings by remaining in a platonic relationship may be your only option if you don’t want to end it. It may be that you know you’re ready to move on, but you haven’t found anybody better, so you think, “Why not just save their feelings?”
All you’re doing is obstructing your relationship with your spouse and preventing them from accomplishing what they want. If you’re trying to be nice, you’re restricting your spouse from exploring other possibilities.
6. You’re reluctant. Even if this explanation is easy, you may have missed anything. You can get into a routine if you’ve started a relationship with someone. It’s difficult to break out of a rut when you’re feeling sluggish.
If you’re not willing to put in the effort to meet a variety of people until you discover someone you click with, you’ll wind up being complacent. It’s true that nothing worthwhile is ever simple.
7. The person you’re seeing makes you nervous that your friends won’t approve of you dating him or her. Your friends may not like the person you are dating, and if this is a concern, you may be putting it off. As time goes on, it’s hard to imagine your life without the people you spend time with every day. For the most part, this entails getting together with your pals.
Your emotions may suffer if you are in a relationship with someone you know your friends will not accept because of the emotional distance this relationship creates. To avoid the embarrassment of being truly involved in a relationship with someone your friends won’t approve of, you’ve settled for a situational relationship.
8. Despite your best efforts, you’re afraid that the relationship will fail. Getting serious with the person you’re seeing could seem impossible for various reasons. Maybe they have a profession that requires them to relocate, or there is a significant age gap, or you just don’t have enough in common. It might be any number of reasons.
Even if you have feelings for this person, you know nothing will come of it. You’ve tried to break up with the person, but you can’t do it. In the end, you have to determine whether or not you want to continue a relationship with someone who won’t be there for you in the future.
9. In fact, the scenario is actually fulfilling a need that you didn’t even know you had. You may have just wanted a change of pace after dating the same types of individuals for so long. And as a result, you’ve started seeing people who aren’t really your regular type of people for dates.
You may think of it as a one-time fling. However, it may be providing you with something you crave, such as approval, a sense of adventure, a superficial but consistent emotional connection, or just very fantastic sex.
See if they can go above and beyond your basic needs to satisfy them. Why can’t you have a meaningful relationship if they can? Is being in a relationship with them worth what you get in return if they can’t provide anything else?
Having a situational relationship with someone usually leads to a real relationship or a split. For some couples who have been in this dreadful gray zone behind an extended period of time, it may be necessary to examine the reasons for their impasse in order to either move forward together or break away.