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You may have been through this a couple of times already. You meet someone and they just blow you away! Everything’s perfect and you’re head over heels for them.
There might be a few things that seem off, but it doesn’t matter because you’re absolutely in love. But then you break up and you’re back at square one. You’re wondering what happened — until you remember all of those red flags you decided to ignore.
Then, you find yourself back in a relationship. But this one’s different. This one seems good. Like, really good.
Now you might be wondering if this could be real. And trust me, it can be! Below are 10 early signs that you might be in a good relationship.
Forget about the red flags you ignored in your previous relationship. That’s the past. It’s time to take a look at the good things you’ve been noticing with your present “bae.” They might just be early signs of a good relationship that could last!
Feeling comfortable with one another is a big part of a good relationship. You and Mr. or Mrs. Right should feel comfortable enough around one another to be your authentic selves. There should be no hiding who you are or what you want in life to please the other.
You might know that you’re comfortable with one another when you start watching your guilty pleasure TV show with them and you aren’t afraid of judgment. Imagine that!
Perhaps you know that you are 100 percent comfortable with them but you aren’t sure how they feel. There are a few ways of telling. If your partner is comfortable with you, they will tell you how they really feel, carry on deeper conversations, readily show affection and be willing to show even their perceived “flaws” to you.
You always show up for one another. Whenever the other needs help, you’re there. You know that, no matter what, you can rely on your new bae to be there supporting you, helping you or saving the day.
This goes for things both big and small. They said they would FaceTime you at 5:00 pm and they did. You asked them to do a small house-cleaning task and they did it. They made plans with you and you both showed up with bells on.
Being reliable in a relationship allows you and your partner to build trust and feel safe with one another. This is essential to any relationship, and not just romantic ones.
This can be a big part of a good relationship. Are you and your new partner capable of being apart from one another? A healthy relationship is one where the two parts of the unit are able to still function without the other.
We aren’t saying that an excessive amount of time away from one another all of the time is ideal. Simply put, you should be able to get through your day productively when they aren’t around.
This will also make the time you do spend together even better!
This sign may seem like a given in a relationship, but you might be surprised by how many people in relationships actually pretend to be happy for their significant other in order to not hurt their feelings. But you may be asking: Why is this a bad thing?
If you are pretending to be happy for someone, aren’t you actually a little jealous or perhaps sour about their good fortunes? If you or your partner is secretly envious of the other, this could cause tension in the relationship or even resentment. This kind of envy could end a relationship, or at least take a heavy toll.
Know that a win for either of you is a win for both of you. You’re a team! If you genuinely celebrate each other’s accomplishments, this is a great sign that you’re in a good relationship.
Another early sign of a good relationship is that communication, in all senses, feels very easy. There are people with whom you just can’t seem to spark up a conversation. Then, there are those you just seem to click with.
You can talk about anything. You can cry about anything. Their jokes actually make you laugh. Heck, sometimes you don’t even need to talk to communicate!
This easy communication also carries into your arguments. Instead of taking jabs at your partner, you both “fight fair” and get to the root of the problem. And when someone needs to apologize, it happens in a sincere manner.
Even more, you can compromise. Yes — actually compromise! Because you are able to communicate effectively with one another, compromising seems to come easier, which could make or break a relationship if it didn’t.
This is not to say you can’t lead an exciting life without a significant other. But this early sign goes to show that your partner is actually helping you get excited about things that you are interested in and pushing you to try new things with them. And guess what? You like it!
You shouldn’t feel forced to do something that you absolutely don’t want to do. Please don’t get these two things confused. If they are doing this, you should talk to them openly about how that makes you feel.
But if you are already seeing signs of adventure and fun, that’s great! A relationship that’s in the habit of trying new things or visiting new places is one that’s bound to last. The best part is that you have lots of ideas at your disposal to keep your relationship spark going for years to come.
Respect is key in a relationship — especially one that’s just starting out. As a team, the two of you should be equals. You work together and nobody’s voice trumps the other.
Furthermore, you should have respect for each other’s boundaries. Listening to your concerns and boundaries, and then respecting them, is a good sign that your “bae” is here for the long haul.
There are several ways to show respect in a romantic relationship, including but not limited to valuing each other’s needs and feelings, listening to one another and compromising. Self-respect is also a large part of the respect found in healthy relationships, so don’t forget to respect yourself!
You and your partner are more than compatible, both inside and outside of the bedroom. Things are lining up on an emotional level as well as a physical one. And it feels great!
But don’t worry if things don’t reach movie-level steaminess in the bedroom right away. Sometimes it takes a little effort to fully understand each other’s bodies, needs and wants. It may just take a little bit of time.
The most important thing is that both of you are willing to take the time to learn about each other and spice things up when the need arises.
This early sign can be seen in a couple of different ways.
First, both of you are interested in similar things. Perhaps you like to read similar books or find the same type of humor funny. Maybe you both enjoy hot acro yoga in the dead of winter. This is just one example, but there are many, many others.
The main point is that you may like some different things, but you have interests that you can connect and bond over.
Second, your life goals are in alignment, which is otherwise known as “relationship alignment.” For a relationship to last, what you both want in life needs to align with each other. In short, you both need to be on the same page when it comes to the big things that matter. These include marriage, kids, homeownership, pets, finances and so much more.
Lastly, you just have “that “feeling.” This one is a little harder to explain because it’s different for everyone. But when you feel it, you’ll absolutely know. And maybe you already have!
If you feel like you’ve noticed some or all of these early signs, there’s a great chance you’re in a good relationship. If you still aren’t sure, maybe give it a little more time and see how it progresses. You never know — they might just be The One!
