10 tips to identify and avoid toxic situationships in modern dating
Here are some tips to help you identify and avoid situationships, build healthier romantic connections, and find clarity and fulfilment in your relationships.
In today's dating world, it can be difficult to navigate the grey area between casual dating and a committed relationship. Situationships have become increasingly prevalent, leaving many individuals feeling uncertain and emotionally drained. These types of relationships often lack clear boundaries, commitments, and labels, which can lead to confusion and frustration. While situationships may seem convenient at first, they can quickly turn toxic and leave you feeling unfulfilled. That's why it's essential to learn how to identify and avoid situationships before they take a toll on your emotional well-being. By implementing some strategies, you can improve your chances of finding a meaningful and lasting connection with someone who shares your values and goals.(Also read: What being in a one-sided relationship looks like? )
10 tips to avoid situationships:
Ginger Dean, Licensed Psychotherapist, shared in her recent Instagram post ten important tips to avoid situationships.
1. First, be honest with yourself about what you want, what you're ready for and what you won't settle for.
2. Be clear about your (especially sexual) boundaries, standards, core values and deal breakers. Make a list and then next to each one write down why they're important to you.
3. Find out upfront before the first date what they are ready for to avoid wasting your time. If they say they are ready for a relationship yet want to "go with the flow" and do all the relationship things without commitment, then you have your answer as to where things are going.
4. Decide how long you'll date someone before you move on if things aren't progressing. Vague answers around their desire to be in a relationship mean it's time to move on.
5. Practice healthy detachment as you engage them in the dating process (gather data and actually pay attention to what you learn).
6. Pay attention to whether you actually like them vs allowing the anxiety around their acceptance of you to fuel your attraction.
7. Avoid romanticizing, fantasizing, future pacing and efforts to fast forward the relationship (healthy detachment).
8. If you've been dating someone for a while and don't know where the relationship is going, it's important to speak up and have an honest conversation about it. This can help clarify expectations and avoid wasting time in a relationship that may not be going in the direction you want.
9. Honor your boundaries as a way to model how you want them to be respected and how you want to be treated.
10. Even if they tell you they want a relationship, make sure their words match their actions and walk away if they don't. They want to take you on trips, meet the kids, and take vacations yet go with the flow and see other people and have no commitment? Nope.