By Sejla Selimovic
Updated: February 7, 2024
8 minutes
Excited about your relationship, huh?
You can’t deny the excitement and energy, especially when you have great chemistry with someone. Just make sure you don’t make any wrong moves here. Yes, we didn’t mean to ruin your moment, but there are a few things or rules you should keep in mind when entering a new relationship.
These dating tips or etiquettes promise your safety (emotional and otherwise). Think of it as the stepping stone to a strong relationship. These tips will show you how to date safely when you enter a new relationship and ensure you have a loved and fulfilling experience.
1. Take it Slow and Set Your Expectations.
You are excited about a new relationship; we get it, but you must take things slow. There’s a time for everything, so you better get to know your partner first. Try to enjoy each other’s company. Don’t rush into taking your new relationship to the next level. There is a lot left for you to learn about each other. So once committed, enjoy the initial stage for now.
The best way to do it is to set your expectations. Consider what you expect from a relationship like this, and what do you expect from your partner? Consider your needs; what would you like and wouldn’t like your partner to do?
Let them know about your expectations. This paves the way to talk about some compromises, making it easy for both of you to adjust to each other, especially now you have spoken of these things.
2. Don’t Be Needy
If you want to know how to date appropriately, this is the first thing you must learn. Being too needy is the biggest turn-off. It will make the other person freak out and run away. So, refrain from making demands or restricting your partner early on. It’s a major red flag and a common reason new couples or marriages fall apart.
You and your partner must avoid continuously texting each other, demanding their attention or presence around the clock. Doing so doesn’t portray you as cute or loving. Instead, it shows you are obsessive and manipulative. So, avoid doing it at all costs; once again, you must set some boundaries and have clear expectations about your relationship.
A good way of avoiding that is to make time for your family and friends and let your partner do the same. Don’t drop your friends or hobbies. This is a paradoxical statement, but your attraction is also partly due to the anticipation of seeing each other again, and you can only create it by creating some distance (physical, not emotional) between yourself.
The psychological trick is that when you leave everything else to be with or see each other again, this sets the expectations that your previous commitments are secondary to your relationship.
So, keep yourself occupied, and make plans with your friends and families as you did before, enjoy your time. Taking some time apart from each other won’t hurt your relationship. On the contrary, it will only strengthen it.
3. Communicate Openly, and Never Compare Your Partner with Others
Open and accessible communication is the foundation of a healthy and robust relationship. When in a new relationship, dare to discuss this. If there is something you don’t like, tell your partner about it. This is why we talked about setting your expectations before. This way, you can be open with each other and fix any issue with a healthy discussion.
One key element of having open discussion is never comparing your partner with someone (if it’s someone you know, your ex, or anyone else). This is one of the most important dating tips you will receive. Realize your new partner is an entirely different person; they live in your present. So don’t look or expect someone else’s characteristics. If you wanted something similar, you were better off with your ex.
4. Be a Good Listener
Speaking of open communication, you can’t communicate properly if you don’t know how to listen patiently. Listening is a skill; it’s a communication tool most people don’t possess. Once you give your partner your undivided attention, they feel heard and valued. You can do even better by showing curiosity about them, like what they are up to and who they are.
Doing so establishes your interest in their life, making them feel special and unique. Here is the crucial thing about being a good listener: you listen to their word and see how or if their actions differ from what they say. Once you become a good listener, it’s time you start reading actions.
See if their actions keep up with their words. For example, if you expect your relationship to last, are they introducing you to their friends and family? Likewise, if they make a promise, are they keeping it (the same goes for their other commitments)? Put, believe what you see, not what you are told.
5. Accept Each Other’s Shortcomings
You must have seen something in your new partner, so you allowed them to become a part of your life. Realize you are not perfect, so expect to witness some flaws. Accept these shortcomings and talk about them when necessary. You can point out these things; don’t try to change them to a completely different person. Learn to appreciate your partner’s individuality as they are with you now.
With that said, be patient with each other. As you are still trying to adjust to each other, you need to be patient. It’s not easy for any of you to commit to a relationship. So, appreciate the opportunity, understand your partner, and work on a support system instead.
6. Try New Things Together
Being a couple, there is a lot you have to do together. Soon enough, there will be a time when you will feel everything is just a routine and monotonous. But till then, make sure you don’t let boredom beat your relationship. So, always be on the lookout to try something new with your partner.
This can be anything; you can plan weekends or getaways. Join a fitness club, visit the local attractions (museums, landmarks or tourist spots), watch a movie, etc. You have to keep doing new things to keep the spark alive. One of the healthier things you can do is schedule dates and discuss your relationship.
Don’t be afraid; you won’t have to do anything significant. Commit an hour (and do it on an ongoing basis) and use it to strengthen your relationship. Talk about the issues, see if there is a solution and work on it. While you are doing it, you better be candid about your feelings (both good and bad).
Keep opening up with each other; it will help bring you closer together. Nothing ruins a relationship more than thinking your feelings don’t matter; they won’t be heard or are not worth sharing. The key is to feel appreciated in any relationship, significantly when we are invested in the relationship. So, set up a weekly or bi-weekly dinner or lunch to set some time aside and discuss these things.
7. Be Yourself
You are now in a relationship, so don’t push too hard trying to keep impressing each other. One of the most underrated dating tips you will ever hear is you don’t have to become someone you are not when in a relationship.
If you want your relationship to fly off, be yourself. Don’t be afraid that your partner will not accept you. First, learn to love yourself and be proud of yourself. Just stop stressing yourself.
One easy way to do that is to focus on today, not tomorrow. Let’s be honest: you are in the early stages of the relationship. So, focusing on the present instead of your future together would be best. If you are too hard on this, you might freak out your other half in just a few weeks. Don’t obsess over your marriage or how many kids you want. First, focus on the relationship and work on reinforcing its foundation. The rest will come later.
A pro tip: keep working on yourself. Don’t just let yourself go. It’s not only for the relationship but because of health concerns. If needed, you can find accessible alternatives to things, like doing your facial at home instead of a spa, and the same goes for manicures, pedicures and hair removal. Speaking of which, if you want a spa-like hair removal experience, you can try Ulike’s range of hair removers.
8. Learn to Give and Take in Your Relationship
A relationship is not about getting whatever you want; you are sabotaging yourself this way. Compromise is another element of a strong relationship. More importantly, both of you should try to make your relationship reasonable.
This starts by realizing what your partner wants. Learning to know what people wish to do is an integral part of learning how to date. Knowing what your partner wants goes a long way; it helps build your relationship. This (if done correctly) creates an environment where you both give and compromise for each other.
Still, if you are the only one who always gives to the other at your own expense, you will only end up with resentment and anger. So, please communicate this.
9. Don’t Expect Perfection
The problem is, sometimes, we expect too much from relationships. We want our partner to be our BFF, co-parent, confidant, and more. This disappoints you because sometimes a person cannot fulfil all your needs.
Yes, you can expect your partner to meet some of your needs, but don’t expect them to tick all your boxes. More importantly, if you feel like your partner is not best friend material, having that need healthily fulfilled by someone else makes sense. Don’t worry; this can free up your relationship and provide a source of job instead of sorrow.
10. Find Ways to Make Each Other Feel Special
This is one of the dating tips that you can’t recommend enough. You have to find ways to make each feel loved and appreciated. Sure, you are excited, but you must create moments of embrace instead of expecting them always to happen.
Think of it like a muscle that will only get stronger every time you practice. As you settle into your relationship, making things work can feel like a heavy task, and you must know how to delegate it properly. Remember, every relationship has its ups and downs.
The End Word
We hope these dating tips will prepare you better for entering a new relationship.
Again, we don’t want you to dismiss a potentially good relationship. Instead, we want you to practice precaution and be safe.
These safety guidelines for how to date help you understand how things work in a new relationship and how to improve things. Suppose you can’t make it better, then at least you can cherish and make the best of what you have. Please don’t spoil it because you didn’t know any better.
