Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether or not you and your significant other are on the same page about how serious your relationship is. You can’t rely on your Facebook relationship status to sum up how you feel about each other! You may have had “the talk” already, but how serious is your commitment to each other?
Getting signals from your partner may be confusing and leave you wondering if you’ll have a future together. Look for these signs that you two are in it for the long haul!
1. You want to be with each other 24/7
You and your partner are attached at the hip, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Being inseparable from your significant other is a positive sign that things are getting more serious. Making time for each other even if it means giving up other things is proof that you not only want to be in each other’s lives; you need to be in each other’s lives.
According to relationship expert Dr. Seth Meyers, “The best way to determine that the relationship is getting more serious is when you feel that the two of you are establishing a true bond where you need each other and help each other feel better when either of you is upset.”
2. Your partner drops hints about the future
Talking in future tense is an encouraging sign that you and your SO are looking towards the future. “If you've been dating someone exclusively for several months and they mention future plans for living together and so forth, it's safe to assume that your partner truly wants to invest in the future of your relationship together,” Dr. Meyers says.
Referring to your potential plans as “when” instead of “if” implies that you’re both confident about the future and can see each other in it. The next time your SO talks about future living arrangements or career opportunities, pay close attention to see if you might be a part of that.
3. You’ve stuck it out together
The length of time you’ve been together is a great indicator of how serious things are. “You have broken some of those early-dating hurdles: You've passed the one-month mark, the three-month mark, the six-month mark and so on,” Dr. Meyers says.
It may seem like an obvious sign, but since you’ve already been through a lot together, there’s a good chance your relationship will evolve even more. If your relationship still feels fresh and exciting, you two are likely to have a long road ahead.
4. You’re willing to make it work no matter what
Schedules, distance, work and many other obstacles can put a damper on your relationship. It’s when you make the commitment to always make time for each other that you know the relationship has gotten serious.
Rachel Petty, a sophomore at James Madison University, has felt her relationship become more serious even though it’s long distance. “My boyfriend goes to school in Rhode Island and I go to school in Virginia, so I knew it was getting serious when we decided to be long distance,” she says. “We spend the time and money to visit each other, so I know we're in for real.”
Putting in the time and effort to maintain a relationship from separate places shows a new level of commitment.
5. You can be yourself around your SO — no pressure
Who says you have to always dress to impress? When there are no secrets and you don’t feel the need to be fully made up in front of your SO, that’s a good sign.
“When I felt like I didn’t have to wear makeup around my boyfriend, that’s when I felt less pressure and realized we liked one another for real reasons,” says Elizabeth Stiller, a junior at Michigan State University. “When you can be vulnerable with the other person, that’s when it feels real.”
Feeling comfortable enough to hang around each other in sweatpants is actually pretty important.
If you see these signs in your relationship, you and your SO are likely in it for the long haul! Congrats on finding someone pretty amazing.