The world today is fast-paced, and everyone wants to move along with it, including how they handle relationships. Dating is an entirely different spectrum, and people perceive things like taking a relationship slowly to be old-fashioned. However, relations involve emotions that can make or break a person, and it makes sense to slow down and reflect.
People have varied intentions when they express the need to slow down when dating. Some of the most common inclinations include – setting boundaries for intimacy, avoiding rebound experiences, figuring out wants/needs, and avoiding a bad relationship, among other reasons. Relationships need to have perfect answers and need soul-searching to make them work.
Ideally, you would want to get a partner who you stay together with for the long haul. If such is your intention, you can increase the odds of having a long-term, fulfilling relationship by patiently wading through the dating experience. The reasons why you want to avoid hurried decisions in commitments include the following:
Getting to Know Someone
Each person has unique character traits, with many couples discovering each other several years later. Personalities unravel slowly, and it is impossible to completely know someone after recently meeting them.
Taking one step at a time enables you to meet the actual person away from the veiled fronts of two people going out of their way to be nice to each other. When you take your time before having a serious relationship, you assess each other’s feelings and see who the person is.
Time allows you to know your partner in their best and worst state. You will discern how they respond to pressures, likes/dislikes, ambitions, non-negotiables, etc. With a peek at the core personality, you can decide if you want to pursue a long-term relationship.
Everybody wants to avoid a partner who cheats on them. The experience typically leaves you broken and depleted and can cause a mental breakdown. Taking things slow in a relationship make it more likely you’ll notice certain red flags when it comes to a person’s loyalty and fidelity. If you want to confirm suspicions for sure about your partner, consider using the best background checks for cheaters.
Less Pressure
Pressure results in hurried decisions, and you risk making a wrong choice. Many factors pressure people into a serious relationship, like a persistent partner, societal expectations, fear of loneliness, etc. However, the decision may not be well-thought-out and bear regrets later.
Slow-paced dating allows you to reflect on your life and envision sharing with your partner. The initial days of dating are often full of excitement and adrenaline, and it is tempting to make hasty moves. It is critical to make a purposive effort to avoid a long-term commitment at this stage until you know your partner better.
In a typical relationship, the exhilaration soon settles down as personalities emerge. You meet your partner’s good and ugly sides as you expose yourself to them. Each of you then decides if it is a worthy relationship to pursue. A conviction that you want to be with your partner with all the baggage that comes with them is critical.
Time gives you the benefit of going through experiences together, strengthening the relations. You make memories and support each other through the good and bad times, solidifying your union with a strong foundation. When you finally commit to each other, it becomes a natural choice.
It Builds Anticipation
As you go through a relationship, anticipation buildup is common, and you can hardly wait to be in it. Dating for a long time grows the anticipation, and the more it lasts, the better the fulfillment. When you rush into the relationship, you may encounter deal breakers while already in it, and it halts abruptly before taking off.
Taking time ensures you have covered most rough corners and want to be together despite them. The experience makes you look forward to the till-death-do-us-part culmination with eagerness. At such a point, many things you encounter with your partner are no surprises, and you focus on building your dream together.
The expectation of permanence in a long-term relationship is much sweeter than a brief encounter because you know what to expect. When you are with someone you just met, the anticipation is more likely to be a lustful desire. With someone familiar, the conviction that you are going into a safe space full of joy and exhilarating experiences drives the expectation.
Just Take It Slow
Taking it slow is an aspect of a relationship that should never go out of fashion. There are clear benefits to avoiding the fast lane when dating and saving yourself from a lifetime of heartbreaks. You are better off discovering the relationship will not work when dating instead of the revelation coming after committing to spend the rest of your life in it.