ADVICE
Avoid These Things When Announcing Your Relationship
Status: It’s no longer complicated.
When letting other people know that you’re dating someone, it’s very tempting to do all sorts of things. After all, you probably waited a long time for this day to come.
But there is a certain art to announcing your relationship, and if you’re not careful, news of its abrupt end may very well be that next thing you’ll have to share.
Don’t Do It Without Your Partner’s Consent
The first thing you’ll have to ensure is that both you and your partner are on the same page when it comes to announcing your relationship.
Just because you’re now official and you know exactly what you are to each other doesn’t mean that your partner is comfortable with informing everybody else. Making your relationship public is one of the first important things you’ll decide together, so you have to make it count and do it right.
Whether it’s a matter of timing or privacy, you need to respect your partner’s wishes if they don’t want to make the big announcement just yet. In the end, their trust in you is far more important than what the rest of the world has to say.
Don’t Do It Just to Make Your Ex Jealous
Announcing your relationship as a way to get back at your ex is not just an awful idea but also a possible dealbreaker.
Even if you sincerely love your partner and making your ex jealous is just a bonus, taking advantage of the situation by using your relationship announcement as some kind of revenge will definitely taint the whole experience.
So what if you know your ex is stalking you or still cares about your love life?
Prioritizing their reaction over your current partner will surely set the wrong tone for your new relationship.
Don’t Do It While Oversharing
Compared to the rest of the things on this list, oversharing isn’t all that terrible.
But doing it when you’re announcing your relationship can still lead to many awkward and embarrassing consequences that you and your partner may regret for a long time.
Changing your relationship status online and posting a photo with romantic captions are some of the most common ways to introduce your new lover to people in your life. Sometimes, you’re even expected to share to friends and family the details of your courtship and exactly how you got together.
But if you end up overcompensating and revealing things about your relationship that others are no longer entitled to know, you can also invite unsolicited advice.
The way you go about announcing your relationship will not just make people cringe, it can also make them feel like they have a right to an opinion even when they don’t.
Don’t Do It Before You’re Both Ready
Last but certainly not the least thing to avoid when you’re telling people you’re with someone new is doing it before you and your partner are both ready.
Before you’re really ready.
Because even if you’ve both talked about it and you’ve considered most factors, you still need to be sure that announcing your relationship is what you really ought to do.
Sometimes, your decision can be influenced by other people’s expectations.
Sometimes, you can do it out of some misguided belief that it’s to prove your love for each other.
But no one else but you and your partner can make that decision, and if you still need more time, it’s well within your rights.
After all, who’s going to complain if no one else knows?
