The Sassy Guide to Situationships & Getting Down to Relationship (DTR) â thatsassything
You canât stop thinking about themâyour toothbrush is in their bathroom, and all your friends are waiting to hear about your next date. But youâre âgoing with the flowâ and havenât put a label to what youâre doing together yet. Most of us have been in a situationship. However, we might all feel differently about it. Whether youâre frustrated and waiting for your partner to have the talk, or are wondering if you have to take a next step at all, or youâre just comfortably marinating in some fiery new relationship energy, Aunt Sassyâs Down to Relationship (DTR) guide has got all you need. Like her self-care products, itâs been carefully curated for some TLC, so keep reading, bestie!
In simple words, a situationship is, âwhen itâs more than friendship, but less than a relationship.â Some call it the period before getting DTR. A situationship is also not the same as being friends with benefits (FWB), a sneaky link, or a textationship, and differentiating between each one can help get a clearer idea of what it is.
FWB vs Situationship:Â In an FWB, while partners may be friends and have emotions for each other that are based on their friendship, they may decide to keep things less romantic, while also engaging in physical intimacy. In a situationship, partners may have romantic feelings for each other that theyâre comfortable exploring while engaging in physical intimacy.
Sneaky Link vs Situationship:Â A sneaky link is typically a person youâre not âsupposedâ to be seeing. For example, if youâre getting cozy with a friendâs ex, and your friend and most of your circle doesnât know. (If youâre a sneaky link, weâre not judging, but we hope youâve carefully considered the emotions of everyone involved!) A situationship may not be as secretive and partners may be more comfortable talking about who theyâre with.
Textationship vs Situationship:Â A textationship is a dynamic which is primarily text-based, where partners share emotional and/or physical intimacy. There may also be an understanding that the partners are satisfied with keeping things text-based. While a textationship could be considered a situationship, situationships generally include a focus on also spending in-person time together.
Relationship vs Situationship: In a relationship, partners tend to prioritise each other as part of their primary circle, may make important life decisions with each other in mind, and are âofficialââmost people in their lives may know about their relationship and their close ones may also be in touch with their partners. While monogamous relationships often associate being exclusively intimate with one person as necessary, this may not be so in non-monogamous relationships. In a situationship, partners may be much less committed and involved in each otherâs lives. As M, a twenty-four year old, non-binary content writer, whoâs monogamous says, âEvery relationship may start with a situationship, but not every situationship is a relationship in the making.
Itâs important to remember that these labels may be more nuanced based on partnersâ experiences and interactions with each other, and connections between people may not always fall into the definitions that we prescribe for them.
Before having a conversation with your lover about considering a relationship, itâs vital that you reflect on what you want. This could include figuring out your emotional, physical, and other needs, whether you want to be monogamous or non-monogamous, and if and how your priorities would change if youâre getting DTR. A lot of the rhetoric on the internet can be dismissive of situationships as a valid form of connection. However, situationships can have both pros and cons.
Pros:Â A situationship comes with less expectations to give first priority to your partner and more space to focus on yourself, and other aspects of your life. It can also allow you more freedom to date other people you might be curious about.
Cons:Â You may feel like some of your needs arenât being met enough, and the uncertainty of whether youâre moving towards a relationship or not, may be anxiety-inducingâespecially if thatâs something that you desire or expect.
While itâs very okay to not have all the answers, it can be useful to introspect by yourself and communicate your thoughts to your partner. You can also always get your hands on a personal massager like the OG for some of that post-nut clarity (*wink wink*).
R, a cis-het man whoâs 24 and single, shares how one can deal with the uncertainty of situationships better: âI have realized that itâs important to state your expectations very clearly as soon as you realize what you want. Letting the other person know helps, since it can encourage them to be honest about their intentions as well. Hopefully, none of us are toying around with each other. â
For more information visit:Â https://thatsassything.com/blogs/sassy-stuff/the-sassy-guide-to-situationships