‘Relationships’, ‘friends-with-benefits’, ‘one-night stand’, and ‘booty-call’ are all terms you are well aware of. But what the hell is a situationship? Have you been seeing someone who is a little more than a friend, but it’s not quite a relationship? Any time anybody asks you about your relationship status, all you can say is, “It’s complicated”? Well, congratulations! You are caught in a situationship. You finally have a name for whatever you’ve been doing with your “close friend”.

A situationship has all the markings of a relationship, the physical and the emotional. The only thing it lacks is commitment. You might think a situationship is the same as friends-with-benefits (FWB). Well, you are wrong, darling! What differentiates a situationship from an FWB is that in an FWB, both parties are clear that it’s just sex and they won’t involve any emotions. Whereas, in a situationship, they are teetering on the edge of a relationship, but not really crossing over into the territory. Now, if you think you are caught in a situationship, here are the signs to look out for.

1. You haven’t had the DTR talk

DTR or the define-the-relationship talk is the explicit conversation where you clearly state your expectations from your relationship. Be it a committed, monogamous relationship, or a friends-with-benefits arrangement, having a DTR makes things clear in a relationship. The lack of a define-the-relationship talk is the perfect way to start a situationship.

2. Inconsistency is your best friend

If your plans are consistently inconsistent, that’s a sign of a situationship. You don’t make plans often, and even when you do, it’s often not made in advance. This shows a lack of investment in the relationship. You never know when you’ll hear from your partner or when you’ll see them next, so you are truly in the dark.

3. There’s no talk of the future

When you are in a serious relationship, you often talk about future plans, whether it is short-term or long-term. You often make plans about where you want to go for vacation together, or how you want to spend your life together. But in a situationship, there is no talk of the future. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to even know when your next date is going to be.

4. Conversations are often superficial

In a situationship, there is not a lot of getting to know each other deeply. All the conversations are usually superficial, small talk, or just related to sex. There’s definitely no deeper connection for emotional fulfilment.

5. Your relationship shows no progress

All relationships have natural milestones. The first date, the first kiss, meeting the family and friends, trying new activities together, or celebrating new anniversaries together. These are not milestones you’ll mark in a situationship.

6. They don’t want to get serious

Now, if someone is giving you all the signs that they don’t want to get serious with you, you know you are in a situationship. It’s even better if they show you clearly that they aren’t serious about the relationship. These things are easy to see if you’re looking, you know.

7. You end up feeling anxious frequently

Anxiety is a part of life, but in a situationship, this anxiety comes from the ambiguity and uncertainty of not knowing where the relationship is going. Because the relationship lacks clarity, you frequently end up feeling anxious and wound up.

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