The discussion about what constitutes an open relationship continues, and there are many opposed opinions. Some people believe that thanks to such a relationship, feelings always remain fresh and bright. Others insist that this is unacceptable, and the usual cheating is hidden behind decency. It is rather difficult to give an unambiguous definition of this phenomenon since such relations have both positive and negative sides. Nevertheless, the popularity of open relationships in the modern world is growing, competing with traditional family rules.
Some people get annoyed by the phrase “open or free relationship”. Free from what? From love, from mutual obligations, from each other’s support? But for many people, it is quite a convenient form of personal life that includes both love and support. Dating Ranking reviews show that the popularity of open relationships increases. Whether you can feel great without being the only person for your only partner is up to you. But first, find out some open relationship facts and how to have an open relationship without any harm.
What Is Being in a Free Relationship?
When building relationships that involve free love, partners pre-negotiate with each other basing on mutual respect. These do not include the case when one partner practices polygamy and another has a relationship with only one partner.
They accept each other’s choice, and all the features of their relationship are discussed in detail. Emotional and physical intimacy is considered a priority. At the same time, contacts with others are allowed, which can be both spiritual and sexual, but on the condition that the partners remain the most important and dear to each other. The presence of polygamy in an open relationship is not necessary.
For a certain kind of people, a sense of freedom is important, including the absence of obligations, abandonment of family traditions, joint household management, and a common budget. The need for such an atmosphere arises in people of an imaginative, creative mind, whose activity and whole life is subordinated to emotions. However, freedom of relations does not always imply a frequent change of partners, and harmonious relations between two people become a priority.
Open relationship rules are at the essence of many families. Gradually, their need for other partners became less until the two realized that they were created for each other, and they did not need anyone else. However, jealousy mustn’t begin to undermine the family. Overly jealous partners who have gone through an open relationship can rarely create a strong family.
There are many reasons why people prefer an open relationship story. They declare the following:
- Free-thinking modern people;
- They especially love each other;
- First of all, they are friends;
- Bisexual;
- The restrictions are imposed by society, but nature is polygamous.
An open relationship is appropriate when:
- Partners do not talk about love; they just decide to spend time together and understand the fragility of such a relationship;
- They have been friends for too long and sometimes have intimacy in a friendly way at a time when neither of them is in a serious relationship;
- They decide on an open relationship for reasons related to health or the inability to satisfy each other.
How to Have a Successful Open Relationship?
Is there a future for open relationships? How to make an open relationship work? Can polyamory make life easy and fun, or is this experience doomed to disappointment? To get the best out of a multi-partner experiment, follow these guidelines.
Understand Why You Need It
It is worth entering into an open relationship if you want variety in your contact with your partner. More often, an open relationship attracts with the novelty of sensations with new partners – the shiny toy syndrome. The sooner you understand what you are looking for, the better you will understand and express your desires.
Choose One of Three Open Relationship Models That Works Best for You
The first, the most common, implies primary relationships, while all other relationships become secondary and less priority. The second allows three or more people in a primary relationship, while the partners have equal rights. The third type of relationship rejects priorities. It is chosen by people of art, politicians, and workaholics who do not start serious relationships.
Talk to Your Partner
You must be clear about your needs and boundaries. Regular and sincere communication will make the relationship straightforward and non-traumatic. It is better to discuss every detail than to ignore something.
Listen to Your Partner
Pay attention to words, actions, and non-verbal signs. Do not think that if you have known a person for a long time, you do not need to listen, and you already understand everything. Sometimes people are oblivious to facial expressions, tone, and gestures that signal “no” when a confident “yes” sounds.
Tell the Truth
It seems that nothing could be easier! But telling your partner about another relationship is much more difficult than it seems. It is better not to overdo with the truth: everyone deserves a personal space. If you don’t want to tell the details of yesterday night or show the correspondence, don’t do it, but mark the boundaries in advance.
Accept Your Jealousy
Expect it, accept it, and manage it. Most people experience overwhelming jealousy when they see their partner is attracted to someone else. Do not reject this feeling or try to convince yourself. Accept jealousy as part of an open relationship. It will get easier over time.
Conclusion
The duration of an open relationship depends on many factors, but it is the psychological readiness required to be in such a relationship. The more often partners experiment with open relationships, the more often they change partners, the higher the risk of getting involved in new relationships, and the higher the risk of falling in love and giving up freedom. Emotional and physical contact between people forms an attachment, which causes jealousy and, as a result, relationships that do not promise complete freedom.
If now you have no desire to spend energy on a serious relationship, then you can completely live without obligations to another person and do whatever you want. The main thing is to make a conscious choice of such a lifestyle and not escape from a relationship because of a fear of intimacy. We wish you the best in building your relationship and hope that our open relationship advice helps you figure out your desires.
Have you had an open relationship experience? What are your open relationship pros and cons? What difficulties have you faced in an open relationship? Share your experience in the comments.
Authors bio:
Rebecca Shinn is a freelance writer and dating and relationship expert with a Psychology degree. Her field of expertise is relationship, dating, and marriage. The important part of Rebecca’s practice is to help couples with communication skills, problem-solving skills, stress management, or finance skills. Rebecca started writing 2 years ago to inspire and help people to have a better dating life, strong relationships, or find a way to keep a marriage strong for long years. With all said above, Rebecca is proud to be a mother and a wife so she doesn't only use her knowledge for helping others but keeping her family strong and happy.
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