Relationships require both parties to invest resources which includes time spent together. Since there is no universal rule on this, one may wonder what a healthy amount is. We are not here to establish any form of rules. Instead, we will be covering ways to evaluate how much time you spend together, ways to increase this, and pointers on how to get some space if you feel that hanging around with your significant other is all you do.
Relationship experts have noted that when people get into relationships, especially at the initial stage, they tend to spend a lot of time planning their days and activities together. After a while this initial period of closeness can fade and if a proper transition is not made, the couple may lose their bond.
That’s why it’s important to make an evaluation now to prepare your relationship for future stages by asking yourself the questions below:
Do you still hang out with your friends and do your own things?
If the answer to this question is no especially since you got into your present relationship, you are probably spending too much time with your boyfriend or girlfriend. The ability to do things that don’t involve your partner, depending on your schedule, with your friends shows that you still have a life outside of being a couple.
One’s ability to enjoy their hobbies and still keep their ways of thinking without being overly influenced by their relationship partner is another sign that they are spending too much time as a couple.
Do you spend little to no time together?
No matter how in love two people are, they must still spend time together as a couple to strengthen their bond. You will be able to tell if you’re spending little to no private time with them if you can’t remember even a handful of personal or intimate moments you have had as a couple. These moments needn’t be glamorous, as long as they are intimate and private.
Spending a healthy amount of time together as a couple
If you feel like you’re spending too much time as a couple than as a person, you should begin to strategically incorporate doing things outside your relationship like enjoying your hobby and hanging out with friends. You should, however, talk to your relationship partner so that these changes do not sabotage your relationship.
If, on the other hand, you’ve realized that you do not spend enough time with your relationship partner, start by finding out ways you can change this like exploring things you can do together. You could start with simple things like listening to them talk about their day.
The trick to spending enough time with one’s significant other is balance: establish a system, based on your and your partner’s schedule, that allows you both to be a couple and also individuals.