Relationships can be awesome, life-changing experiences that are unlike anything you can do on your own. But they can also be complicated, hard, and sometimes impossible. The point is that your relationship should enhance your life, not hold you back from living it to the fullest. Here are some thins that being in a relationship should never stop you from doing:
- Growing. Getting into a relationship doesn’t mean the work is done. In many ways, it’s just beginning. Don’t ever worry that you’re going to outgrow a relationship if you change, because the right person will either grow with you, or you’ll find someone who will.
- Making new friends. Your social life doesn’t end when you get into a relationship, and in fact, your world should become bigger, not smaller. It takes a village to do a lot of things, and knowing that can make life a lot easier.
- Keeping old friends. It’s one thing if a partner points out some destructive friendships you probably don’t need around and encourages you to take some space. It’s a very different thing is he tries to cut you off from your past in an effort to shape your future for you.
- Traveling. Getting comfortable in a relationship doesn’t mean that the adventures should end. If he doesn’t want to go with you, then you should probably go anyway. Girls trip?
- Taking your dream job. If you have serious goals, those aren’t going to vanish when you get into a relationship. Even if the relationship ended up distracting you for a while, those goals would start waking you up at night somewhere down the line. A relationship might be one of the things that you want, and a job is another. Find the balance that truly makes sense to you.
- Being yourself. Everyone knows they should be themselves in theory, but too often people try to change things about themselves to be loved that are key components of who they are. Changing in good ways is great, but trying to hide a piece of your soul is not.
- Breaking up. Sometimes relationships need to end, and no matter how invested you are, you should never keep the hassle of getting out of one have more weight than the possibility of finding true happiness.
- Taking care of your body. It’s great to find a guy who will love you no matter what you look like or no matter what changes in your physicality, but you should never stop taking care of your body. Your weight is your decision, so just make sure your body is actually happy.
- Setting boundaries. Just because you let someone in emotionally doesn’t mean that your boundary-setting days are over. Relationships require that you check in with yourself frequently and think about why you feel the things that you do, and make decisions about things that aren’t working.
- Being honest with yourself. In certain ways, there can be opportunities to hide in a relationship. If, for example, you’re dating someone who is sort of co-conspirator with you against the world, it can be easy to overlook the truth of certain situations. Don’t forget your truth amidst the reality you’ve created together.
