There’s a common misperception that there, somewhere, exists a rare beast known as the perfect relationship. This mythical relationship has no ups and downs, no sad times or happy times, just a never ending stream of steady being. It doesn’t exist, of course, because humans are not perfect, and so we all have to navigate the streams of each other’s natures to make a relationship work. If you’re looking for love, you really can’t afford to be close-minded, so here are some other relationship myths that you should be taking with a pinch of salt
- There are no arguments or fights in a healthy relationship – actually, disagreeing with each other is far healthier than just bottling it all up and pretending to just get along. We’re not talking about knockdown, drag out fights, but passion can and does lead to friction and that’s far less boring than agreeing with everything.
- Love is all you need – well it helps, but sadly every day concerns and responsibilities are also going to impact on your relationship as well and it is very easy to fall out over differences in opinion in how to handle them. You need to know what your common ground is.
- You have to have the same interests – having similar interests is a great starting point, but its far better for a couple’s interests to complement each other rather than overlap completely. That way you can teach each other and support each other with different skills and outlooks and hobbies.
- You can’t be attracted to other people – expecting this is totally unrealistic. Being in love with someone does not suddenly make other people unattractive and it is perfectly normal to notice that other people exist. As long as this attraction doesn’t move from an appreciation to wanting them at the expense of your partner then it’s alright.
- You don’t need physical intimacy – absolutely untrue, and every relationship needs it. Sex is an important part of intimacy and trust that forms relationship bonds. Italso has important physiological benefits like cardiovascular exercise and the production of important hormones such as serotonin and dopamine.
- You just need to change them and things will be perfect – absolutely not. Your happiness does not rely on your partner or on this relationship. They are not some project to be worked on, and if you somehow manage to actually change them then they won’t be the person you were first drawn to
- If you wait long enough, you’ll find “The One” – well this is just silly, they’re not going to appear in a puff of smoke or somehow fall out of a clear sky. You’re never going to meet your Mr or Miss Right if you don’t get out there and meet people.
Just relax and enjoy what you have and where you are and you’ll find your relationships taking their natural courses, unburdened by your expectations and fears. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy the experience?