9 Phases Every Long Term Relationship Goes Through & Aren't Worth Stressing About
byOlivia Youngs
In the realm of human connection, long-term relationships are an animal all their own. You've been with the same person long enough for social norms and rules of etiquette not to apply to you. The early days of butterflies, late night phone calls and spending hours on your appearance are but a distant memory, and you may be worrying that you've lost your initial spark. There are many phases long term relationships go through though, and luckily, most of them are just that — phases to be worked through.
I've been with my husband for four years now, and although that may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, it's been enough time for us to have gone through just about every relational phase under the sun. The "Can't Get Enough of You" phase? Been there. The "Please Leave Me Alone Before I Unleash The Rage of 1000 Suns On You" phase? Done that. Between our jobs and trying to keep two small children alive, you can bet that our relationship has been stretched to it's limits and then brought back to a healthy place again.
Although there are certainly some "phases" that aren't just something to be worked through, the majority of the time long-term relationships go through their fair share of ups and downs — and that's okay.