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Be Reasonable: Setting Realistic Relationship Expectations
We all should have some expectations in a relationship. But what’s reasonable and what’s totally unrealistic?
Whether we’re in a new relationship and trying to decide what to expect, or trying to make an existing relationship better, discussing expectations of each other is important. But before you can discuss your expectations, you have to figure out what they are.
More importantly, you need to be sure your expectations are reasonable. That’s the part that can get tricky. We don’t always recognize our expectations as being unrealistic because we don’t even realize we’re expecting them.
Let’s take a look at eight relationship expectations. Four of them are unrealistic, and four of them are reasonable.
Unreasonable: different emotional responses
Whether it’s expecting your partner to be more loving or to not cry at that sad scene in the movie theater, expecting different emotional responses from someone is unreasonable.
We are who we are. We respond emotionally the way we respond. We can’t force ourselves to feel more or less, and we shouldn’t be expected to pretend just to make someone else more comfortable.
