People can sometimes enter relationships with expectations about the way things should look based on their past romantic history, upbringing, or any number of other circumstances. It’s important to know that these assumptions can often lead to feelings of guilt, resentment, discontent, and even unnecessary conflict. When it comes to romantic love, and long-term relationships particularly, there is much more nuance involved than some of us might have been taught and it is not simply “black or white.”
There are certain behaviors that some individuals would view as abnormal or unhealthy when, in reality, they are quite the opposite. Here are five normal relationship habits according to experts.
Questioning your relationship
Questioning your relationship is completely normal, and especially in long-term relationships. Overwhelming feelings of passionate love and intense romance last roughly two to three years at best according to Dr. Fred Nour, a neurologist in Mission Viejo, California. It is perfectly healthy to have occasional doubts about whether your partner is “the one,” as long as they aren’t constant or lingering.
Letting conflicts go unresolved
Dr. John Gottman, psychologist and renowned author, said, “The idea that couples must communicate and resolve all of their problems is a myth.” Research shows that some of the most successful relationships have unresolved issues that they sometimes have argued about for years. There will be some perpetual problems in a relationship that are just not solvable, and that is completely normal.
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