Relationships are not meant to be perfect. There will be good times and bad times. Sometimes you will want to give up and leave your partner. Other times you will think deeply about all you have been through together and just choose to stick by them no matter what.
Basically, there are five main stages in which relationships go through. Of course, not all relationships get to go through all the five stages because some relationships end as early as when they are in the second stage.
Also, how long one stage lasts varies from couple to couple. Even for the most admired couples, most of them have gone through these main stages in their relationship:
1. Romance and attraction
This is what we basically see in the movies. Couples are so much in love and can’t get their hands off each other. They see each other as perfect and nothing can tear them apart. It’s also called the honeymoon stage and everyone who looks at the couple think they are perfect. Sadly, it doesn’t last long.
2. Reality stage
This is the stage where things get so real. The masks peel off and you begin seeing another side of your partner that you didn’t know before. Both partners are comfortable to be themselves around each other and there’s no faking. This is the stage where you get to know if your relationship can actually work since you get to see the bad side of each other. Unfortunately, some couples are not able to go through this phase successfully and the relationship thus comes to an end.
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3. The stability stage
Now that you both have survived turbulent times together, you have also learned a lot about each other and from the fights you have had. You know that your partner hates it when you don’t clear the table after dinner and when you don’t put your dirty socks in the laundry basket. This is a peaceful stage but it can also get too comfortable if you are not cautious.
4. Commitment stage
After being through hell and back with your partner, it is at this time that you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with nobody else but your partner. So you choose them again and again no matter how hard things get.
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5. The bliss
By this time, you have both learned what works for you as a couple. You work as a team and you even have a project together. You trust each other, love each other, and yours is a beautiful love story.