this article was co-authored by klare heston, lcsw. there are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. in this case, 96% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. a casual relationship is often one with no expectation of a long-term commitment or of monogamy.

if you’re thinking about having a non-committed relationship or are currently in one, prioritize communication and honesty first. don’t get emotionally …

instead, love is only one of the many ingredients needed for a long-lasting partnership. a partnership is not just about the emotions and feelings of love. married or not married, when you decide to enter into a partnership with another, commitment means you act with integrity, respect and care –even when your emotions are telling you otherwise. love is not what makes you apologize and give your partner a hug after an argument (even though inside you know you’re 100% …

speaking of the latter, it seems like more and more couples are opting to stay together without the vow-exchanging formalities. “some people feel that marriage is a label and that they can be just as committed to each other without that label,” she says. ultimately, marriage is a very personal choice and something that couples should talk about at length before making a decision either way.” although getting hitched isn’t completely off the table, both say there are benefits to …

it was not as if she and daniel never had sex, but when they did, daniel often felt lonely in his desire for something more — not necessarily exotic sex but sex in which both partners cared about it, and cared about each other, with one of those interests fueling the other. “it is not finite.” he was not surprised when elizabeth rejected the idea; he had mostly raised it as a way of communicating the urgency of his needs. …

feeling like your partner drinks too much can create a lot of tension and upset in a relationship. perhaps you resent the amount of time they… sometimes, it can be hard to know whether our relationship is going to make it in the long term. ‘he’s old enough to be her father.’ to mention but a few, and it’s… it’s not uncommon for a couple have different degrees of readiness when it comes to commitment or marriage. good relationships are …