Have people been telling you that you’re glowing lately? Do you feel a much greater sense of joy in your life right now? Did you finally delete all those silly dating apps you had on your phone?
Yup – you’re definitely in a new relationship. Finding someone special to share your life with makes you experience all of the things above and more. The right person for you gives you a huge sense of butterflies, knows how to comfort you, and, more importantly, accepts you for who you are.
But, just because you’ve found someone great doesn’t mean your dating work is done. Now, you have to commit to keeping this person around and growing together in a happy, loving relationship.
How can you do that? With the new relationship advice listed below.
1. Have Patience
Just as you had to kiss a few frogs before you found your prince (or princess), you know have to play a different kind of waiting game. New relationships require a bit of trial and error to truly get to know each other well.
Sure, you may have already covered the basics like where you’re both from, what your favorite colors and foods are, and what you like to do for fun. Ask yourself how much you’ve both opened up, though. Think about how deep your discussions have gotten so far and how much more you have left to cover about each other.
Don’t try to take on all the heartbreaks, huge mistakes, and family drama all at once, though. These things will present themselves in conversation in due time, as will deeper levels of both of your’s characters, dreams, and doubts.
2. Take Things Slow
Some people understand not to spill their whole heart out on the first few dates, but they don’t think twice about jumping into bed with their new partner. Intimacy needs a bit of patience, too.
After all, there’s a certain sense of excitement and curiosity that comes with a good build-up. Not to mention, actually going all the way will feel much better once you’ve gotten to know each other on a deeper level.
Wait a bit. It will be worth your while.
3. Communicate
This piece of advice is something you’ll need when starting a relationship and throughout the entire course of it. You can’t expect to get anywhere if the two of you don’t know how to communicate.
This means speaking honestly, working to build and preserve your trust, and trying hard not to make assumptions. Everything else in your relationship will come back to this. All the minor issues, big milestones, and everything in between depends on how well the two of you can sit down, talk things out, and stay on the same page.
4. Understand Each Other’s Boundaries
As you work on your communication skills more and more, boundaries will start to come up. You or your partner may have certain things you don’t like to talk about, things that you don’t like to do in the bedroom, or maybe just parts of town that you don’t like to go to.
It doesn’t matter what kind of boundaries you’re talking about, really. What does matter is how well you can respect the lines that you’ve asked each other not to cross. This means using the patience and communication new relationship tips mentioned above, no matter how far into the relationship you are.
5. Learn to Be Without Each Other
Speaking of boundaries, here’s one some people in new relationships don’t think about: making time to be alone. You don’t need to be with your new partner every hour of the day. In fact, it’s better that you’re not.
Commit to spending time by yourself, with your friend group, and to handle personal responsibilities, too. Know when you need to stay in and have an early night; don’t be the person who starts bailing on their friends; and make sure you’re keeping up with school studies and work to-dos.
Ignoring such tasks will come back to bite you. Creating a balance, on the other hand, helps make your relationship part of a well-rounded life instead of your whole life.
6. Take Introductions Step by Step
Taking time to hang out with your friends one-on-one is important in a new relationship. But, so is taking the relationship one step further by starting to introduce each other to your friends.
This should be a two-way street. If you notice your partner is making the effort to bring others around and show you more of their life, it’s best for you to do the same. Start introducing them to your best friend, your old (or current) roommate, and maybe even your siblings little by little.
Save the “meeting the parents” step for later if you can. You want to make sure you’re bringing someone home who is really serious about where the relationship is going. Plus, waiting a little longer for this introduction can calm the nerves for everyone involved.
7. Buy Simple Gifts at First
Another thing that may be a little nerve-wracking in a new relationship is when someone’s birthday or the holidays are right around the corner. You know, you’ve barely made it a month or two into dating and all of a sudden now you have to buy a birthday gift or take on special events together.
What’s the protocol for this? There isn’t a clear rule on how to manage such a situation, but the best rule of thumb is to stick to simple gifts. There is no obligation for you to go above and beyond for your partner if the relationship is still fresh.
8. Avoid Being Possessive
Of all the dating tips for new relationships, this one may be the most important. No one likes feeling as if someone is always looking over their shoulder or telling them what to do.
Watch out for the red flags that your sweet, gentle partner is actually a possessive person. Also, do your best not to be that partner.
Possessiveness is one of the worst things that can happen in a relationship. It puts a strain on both parties, causes tension in other parts of your lives, and does nothing to benefit your situation. Instead, it can break trust and hurt feelings until the whole relationship breaks.
9. Say “I Love You” When It’s Time
Being possessive is a sure-fire way to make things go south, but so is saying “I love you” too fast. Don’t feel obligated to say it if your partner falls head over heels right away. However, it’s better to talk about the seriousness of this step from the get-go so that you both know where you stand.
Love is a big thing. It takes a lot of work, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies, and, it needs time to grow.
Rushing into it may put your relationship on a crash course. This creates unnecessary pressure and starts to set expectations that your relationship may not be ready for. You’ll know when it’s time to say it, but until then, let things be as they are.
10. Have Fun!
If you’re not doing this final piece of early relationship advice, you’re doing it all wrong. Your partner is supposed to be one of your best friends. They should be someone who excites you, has many common interests with you, and knows how to please you.
All of this translates into having fun. It means you can do everything from watch movies you both like to attend events that you each enjoy. Fun is a cornerstone of your relationship; it’s just as valuable as trust, communication, and intimacy.
New Relationship Advice, Creative Date Ideas, Marriage Tips, and More!
Whether you’re learning each other’s quirks still or on the verge of saying the “L” word, take the time to enjoy your new relationship. There’s nothing like that honeymoon stage of butterflies and waiting for the phone to ring or going out on date nights again.
It’s all about having fun and treating each other well, which prepares your relationship to take on the inevitable hurdles it will face, too. Thankfully, this new relationship advice will prepare you both for whatever may come your way.
Who knows, you may end up finding yourself reading about marriage or moving in once you’ve hit long-term relationship status. How cool would that be? If you still need a little advice for fresh relationships, click here.
