The honeymoon stage is often described as the initial period of a relationship where everything in a relationship seems perfect. There’s less fighting and more telling each other what you want to hear. As pleasant as the honeymoon phase is, it can’t last forever. Here are some clear signs that you’ve left this part of your relationship to move onto something even deeper and better.
- You tell each other the truth. Honesty is important in a relationship. It can also be telling of what state a relationship is in. Generally, once you leave the honeymoon stage, you feel comfortable enough with each other to start being more honest. That’s not to say that the honeymoon period is full of lies, but does usually contain a lot more sugar-coating! You’ll know you’ve left the honeymoon stage when you don’t mind being brutally honest with each other.
- You feel fewer butterflies but more comfortable. Those butterflies that flutter in your stomach during the early stages of a relationship are super-exciting. For most people, they don’t last forever. You’ll start to feel them less and less as you get more comfortable in the relationship. And when they’re gone altogether, you’ll know that you’ve left the honeymoon period and entered the next phase. While some might find that sad, the good news is the butterflies are replaced by a feeling of comfort and security.
- You have more arguments. You’ll probably have more arguments when you leave the honeymoon stage. And they won’t be the end of the world! This simply means that you feel more comfortable around each other and can now air out your grievances rather than pretending everything is okay. The truth is that all healthy couples argue. This definitely doesn’t mean that your relationship is not working!
- You go to less effort for your dates. After the honeymoon stage, some people get rid of date night altogether. Others maintain their date nights, but they put considerably less effort into those dates. In the beginning, you’ll probably spend hours before a date figuring out what to wear, doing your hair and makeup, and planning everything out to perfection. After the honeymoon period is over, you’ll probably just go without a second thought.
- You find more things that annoy you about them. When you first fall in love with someone, you might feel like that person is perfect. But perfection is impossible. Your partner definitely has flaws—it just might take you until the honeymoon period is over to notice them! As those initial flames of passion die down, you’ll probably start to see things more clearly. And if you really do love that person, those flaws won’t matter.
- The chase is officially over. Unfortunately, playing games happens a lot in the early days of many relationships. You know, those games along the lines of, “He texted me two days after I texted him so now I have to wait three days to respond.” Frustrating as those games can be, they’re part of the chase. All of that ends with the honeymoon period. There’s no more playing hard to get. You’ve got that person now, and they’ve got you.
- Silences don’t feel as awkward. Awkward silences are one of the downfalls of dating. They’re bound to happen, whether a date goes well or not. You’ll experience silent periods in conversation all throughout your relationship with someone, but they won’t feel as awkward or uncomfortable once you become closer. After the honeymoon period, your connection will be a lot stronger, and you’ll be able to be in each other’s presence without having to fill the room with conversation.
- The passion seems to be weaker. One of the downsides of exiting the honeymoon period is the passion dying down. Passion and love are two separate things, so don’t feel like the love is withering away when the passion does. You might no longer feel an uncontrollable desire for that person date night, but that doesn’t mean you’ve fallen out of love with them. The honeymoon stage typically comes with more extreme highs and lows, whereas the period after is more stable.
- You’re happy to spend time apart. Sometimes when a relationship gets off to a good start, two people feel like they can’t be apart from one another. But as you get closer and more confident in your relationship, you’ll probably be happier to spend time apart. Due a combination of reduced passion, more obvious flaws, less effort, and more honesty, you’ll probably enjoy having some time without them. But as they become a stronger presence in your life, you’ll also notice it more when they are gone. After time, it will feel like a little piece of you is missing.
