Being independent and being in love aren’t mutually exclusive by any means, but strong women with full lives do love differently. You might be head over heels for your new guy, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to these 7 things:
- Put your career on the backburner. You might really want to take the weekend off to be with your sexy boyfriend, but you know you have work waiting and you value your career. It’s something that you’ve nurtured and an important part of your life. This doesn’t mean you cancel dates all the time or become a workaholic, but it does mean that you won’t douse your career potential just because you’re distracted by romance. There’s room for it all.
- Play the damsel in distress and let him “save” you. There will be times in your relationship when you and your partner help each other out, but you’d never become a damsel in distress because you think it makes you attractive. You don’t need him to rescue you from your dramas instead of being in control of your own life. You’ll never shy away from an opportunity to be empowered and you insist on dealing with stuff your own way —and that’s one of the things that makes you sexy AF.
- Hit the clingy switch. Instead of getting clingy, you take your time to process your feelings and get to the root of what’s bugging you when you’re feeling insecure. You won’t allow that insecurity to make you clingy, texting him 20 times a day or asking for constant reassurance, since you know that’ll just push him away. You know how to take a step back and figure things out before becoming over-emotional.
- Stick around when things are unfixable/crappy. You’re strong enough to make it through tough times in a relationship, but you’re also smart enough not to stick with a situation you know will never change and is damaging to yourself or your boyfriend. You’re not afraid to cut the cord on a crappy relationship and you’re not afraid of being alone.
- Forget about what you need. Some people might neglect what they need in a relationship out of fear of rocking the boat or being seen as demanding, but not you — you know your needs are important. If you’ve been working really hard and desperately need sleep, you don’t feel bad about canceling a date for the sake of your health. If you’re not feeling satisfied in the bedroom, you’re not shy about speaking up and saying what you want. Staying quiet about things isn’t helping anyone, and you won’t do it.
- Put blinkers on other parts of your life. It’s easy for a relationship to take over your life, but you would never allow that to happen. You still make time for things you value, such as your amazing friends, family, hobbies, interests and goals. You can enjoy those things without your boyfriend beside you — you know taking time away from him to do things with other people or on your own is important and keeps you (and your relationship) happy.
- Let yourself go. Sure, you have days when you just want to lie around with your hair in a messy bun and not care, but you take pride in your physical appearance because it makes you feel good, so you’re not just going to neglect it now that you’re in a relationship. It was never about attracting a guy, anyway — he loves you just the way you are, but you love yourself most when you’re taking good care of yourself.
