it takes a while to get to know someone. but trust is an essential part of any relationship. it can be a scary thing to do. if you’ve been cheated on or let down – or if you grew up in an environment where you had to learn to look after yourself – it can take even longer to let down those defences. if you’re finding it difficult, it might just be that you need to take things at a …

you’re in a new relationship, things are going well and you couldn’t be happier. it’s not always easy to think strategically when you’re in one half of a newly inseparable couple, but there are a few things to remember that will help keep things on track. let’s face it; all couples argue, but if you want your new relationship to last you’re going to have to fight fairly. “you’re always going to have some conflict,” cohen says, adding that fighting …

i asked experts for the one thing that they would suggest that you make sure to do at the outset of a new relationship, and the results were varied. “it is better sooner than later to mention dealbreakers, so that you are fair to the other person, and so that you are not wasting either of your time. “cross-check to make sure you are both looking for the same things,” caitlin k. roberts, founder of to be a slut and …

you’re not the only person with skin in the game, so you need to have a level of faith in someone else. we use the words ethical or consensual to indicate that the non-monogamy is “above board,” and that participants in the relationship are informed about expectations and commitments. polyamorous couples are often in a committed relationship with one another, but each partner has the freedom to have other committed relationships. this can be a little confusing, because you may …

there are many temptations to organize our life around the experience of earlier trauma. and while it can bounce back and forth from partner to partner, both the cause of our insecurity and its cure reside in us alone. knowing our attachment style is beneficial, because it can help us to realize ways we may be recreating a dynamic from our past. finally, it can make us more aware of how our feelings of insecurity may be misplaced, based on …