10 Stages Of Love Relationship That Most Couples Go Through
Did you know that there are different stages of love relationship that most couples go through?
Can you guess presently which stage of relationship you’re in with your loved one?
“Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” ~ Robert Frost.
1. Romance & infatuation stage 
The romantic stage is the best one I would say, and I can see many heads nodding in agreement with me there too!
This is the first stage in every love relationship, and most of you must be having fond memories of going through it – right?
When two people are attracted to each other, they get infatuated. They put their best foot forward and are reeling with romance and passion.
What happens in such a stage you might ask? Well, simply put – you just can’t stop thinking of your partner – they are always on your mind!
The old saying “love is blind” is really apt in this stage because it truly is 🙂
This ‘enchantment’ phase brings in a lot of affection, laughter, playfulness, and all the negative traits are ignored. Lot of emphasis is laid on the similarities you both share.
People in this stage feel high when they’re together and can’t wait to be with each other when they’re apart. There are butterflies in the stomach, and your fluttery hearts don’t stop beating for each other.
2. Disturbance stage
After a few months of being together with each other when the ‘love chemicals’ wear off, couples return to their normal selves with normal moods and sex drive.
Everything starts getting back to normal, and instead of only focusing on each other, couples become more involved with their daily duties and work.
Those who aren’t aware of this normal stage of love in a relationship might think they’ve fallen out of love. Sometimes they might even get upset by their partner’s lack of attention on them.
3. Changing stage
You might be having a lot of expectations from your partner. Sometimes you might even try and mold them to be like the perfect partner you want to see them as.
It’s like a power struggle going on, and sometimes relationships end if one side dominates the other.
Instead of seeing the similarities as you did in the romance stage, you focus on the differences and flaws of your partner.
Some couples might even break up and move on at this stage. This happens especially with those who date often, or don’t fully commit, and look for love but find disappointment instead.
4. Understanding stage
Those of you who’ve crossed all the above stages of love in your relationship and reached so far – it means you’ve begun to understand your partners better now.
The understanding stage is a lot about give and take, and each partner tries to change the other to suit his or her needs.
Couples in this stage remain blissful and happy with each other, and they keep making efforts to work on their relationships to make things work.
In this stage, both partners recognize and accept each other for who and what they are. They need to avoid misunderstanding and understand each other better than before.
The stages of love in a relationship aren’t easy, but if you know how to move from one stage to another, it’s not all that tough either.
5. Discovery stage
Once a couple passes the above stages of love relationship, all the unrealistic expectations tend to fade away.
Both sides start to discover more of each other and make efforts knowing how they both can fit and work things together.
Couples start defining and clarifying their roles, commitment, and compatibility towards each other. They need to explore their relationship needs and their partners too.
They need to decide on questions like how much time do they like to spend together or remain apart, how does each side like to express love, or receive it etc.
Once couples are able to communicate their needs effectively to one another, they can avoid a lot of other things that can make a relationship bitter.
They need to avoid unhealthy behaviors like avoidance, withdrawals, criticism, and defensiveness. Instead, focus on acceptance, compassion, forgiveness, and patience.
6. Connection stage
Next comes the phase of love in a relationship in which the couples go deeper into trust, commitment, and connect with each other.
This is the stage when they experience intimacy. They are more supportive of each other and share each other’s experiences as well.
Problems or ups and downs are part and parcel of every relationship. However, the trust both partners will have and the loyalty towards each other will carry them through these small problems.
In this stage, you stop thinking about your own individual selves and shift the focus to what works best for the relationship.
It’s actually a stage of attachment when you feel connected, are one-to-one, and love each other a great deal. There is more of team spirit and oneness that further strengthens the relationship.
7. Doubting stage
Ah..don’t most of you come across this stage when doubt starts to creep in? Mostly, this stage comes after many years of being together with each other in a relationship.
You might start thinking about your exes, your past relationships, or start comparing your present partner with another.
In this stage, everything is related to your relationship. If you’re unhappy and hurt in your relationship – you tend to blame it on your partner for putting you through such trying times.
You might even start comparing your relationship with other couples, and other relationships. Remember, you can cross this stage of love in your relationship if you aren’t dull and boring.
8. Sexual stage
In this stage, your sex life plays a major role. Either the sex drives of both partners may change or one of you might get disinterested or over interested in sex.
One of you may give up on sex, or keep looking for ways to make it more exciting. However, if there is a difference in sexual interests, one of you might even end up having an affair.
The answer lies to find creative ways to make your sex life more exciting, which might make your relationship better and bond both of you better.
9. Trust stage
This is the ultimate stage when both partners love and trust each other totally. However, sometimes this kind of complete trust can also make you take each other for granted – so be careful there.
From all the above stages of love in a relationship, it’s in this stage that you know the direction of your relationship. You are happy with each other, and know what to expect from each other too.
Even though there is total bliss and understanding in this stage, don’t stop appreciating and take your partner lightly. That’s because love needs to be worked up or nurtured all the time.
Remember, love is like a plant that needs nourishment to keep it alive!
If you don’t keep your love fresh and alive, and fail to express your love to your lover more often, it can be rekindled by someone else.
10. Spiritual stage
This is among the toughest stages of love relationship to achieve for most people, though not impossible.
It’s more a willingness to help your partner fulfill his/her potential, without any selfish motive.
There is ongoing personal and spiritual growth for both partners. Unconditional love is perhaps achieved in this stage when you become the best version of yourself.
I haven’t reached this stage yet, so can’t write about it much!
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