Love Our Talks

Navigating Situationship Dilemma

October 03, 2023 KLove Season 1 Episode 18
Are you swimming in the murky waters of situationships? You're not alone. Join us on Love Our Talks, as we unravel this complex relationship status, dissecting the tell-tale signs, the emotional roller-coaster, and the surprising benefits. But that's not all, we also shed light on the potential pitfalls like emotional confusion, unreciprocated feelings, and the looming sense of isolation. 

Not leaving you adrift, we offer practical advice on how to navigate these tricky waters, setting boundaries, and reclaiming your love life. We delve into the vital topic of exit strategies – because knowing when and how to break off a situationship is just as important. Drawing from our listeners' experiences and wisdom, we provide a well-rounded understanding that's sure to empower you in your love life. So, tune in and let’s have a heart-to-heart about love!

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Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, hey, loves. Welcome back to Love Our Talks, the podcast where we dive into juicy topics on all things dating, love, relationships, wellness and entertainment. I'm your host, k-love, and today, honey, we are diving deep into mysterious waters of the situation ship dilemma. So get comfy and let's get real. First off, even what is a situation ship? Picture this you know like you're more than friends with someone, but you're not quite in a committed relationship. You're in a situation, right, but without any real clarity. Sounds familiar, but let me tell you, these kinds of arrangements often turn into emotional roller coasters. So how do you know you're in a situation ship? There are some signs. You're avoiding the talk. Most of your plans are last minute. You also have, like future talks. You know about what you're going to do for like special occasions, whether it be a holiday coming up, but do you really? Is there really a definite plan? No, they haven't met your friends, close family members, right, and you know what it has emotional highs and lows. That's like the norm, okay, so let's talk about a few things. Let's break this down. Let's talk about, you know, flexibility. You know, with the no strings attached, you're both free to keep your options open. No need to delete those dating apps just yet. You know it also comes with low commitment, not ready for a full blown relationship. Hmm, yeah, like it's like no problem, I'm not ready yet, we'll see where the wind goes. So situationships often require less emotional and time commitment. There's also less pressure. It's like no need to stress about meeting you know, your close friends, family, parents or doing like any special occasion or holidays. It's all about the now. Also, you know it leaves space for self-discovery. Okay, you know. So like you have the emotional bandwidth to focus on yourself, whether it's pursuing a new hobby or dedicating that time to personal growth, or like a situation ship can give you the you know some room to breathe. There are things like you know that can be convenient with having a situation ship. Not just list a couple of things, but oftentimes, like situations ships are more about spontaneity and less about long term planning. You know, like weekend trips Hmm, why not, let's just do this Netflix and chill, sure. So you know also, like that physical connection, your physical connection, like, let's be real, the intimacy is often a big plus in a situation ship. You get to enjoy that closeness with someone without the full scope of a relationship, responsibilities Right. It's kind of like a relationship rehearsal. Situationships can be a good test run for a more serious relationship down the line. You get to see how you vibe together with that person without the full weight of a committed relationship, also understanding each other's needs, you know it helps you understand what you really want in a relationship and what you do like and what do you like in terms of communication, also emotional support or even what you like in the bedroom. A situation ship can be a valuable learning experience. So there are some things you know if you're in that mental space and you're in that space, that's just what you're looking for. These are some of the things that you know you're experiencing in there and that what you can experience Now with a situation ship it can turn pretty bad and it can leave you like an emotional wreck.

Speaker 1:

You know what many of you feeling like you're on cloud nine and the next year into like something emotional limbo, like what are we? Where is this going? You know the ambiguity can drive you absolutely nuts. You know emotional investing you might catch feelings but, honey, there's no guarantee those feelings will be reciprocated. And let me tell you, unrequited love is a drag. You don't want that. And let's not mention the time factor. You hmm, we always have this, you know, in our heads like, and you know time is not on our side and it's not standing still for no one. So your time is pretty valuable now, okay, so let's face it.

Speaker 1:

If you're looking for someone or something serious, you might be wasting your time in a situation ship that's going nowhere fast. Are you entangled in this casual affair? You might be messing out on a legit, committed relationship. You're also dealing with limited emotional support. You know when life throws these curveballs. Can you learn? Can you lean on your situation ship Really? Can you lean on that person? Maybe, maybe not. Emotional support can be a great area. You know friends, family you're unlikely to bring a situation ship to Thanksgiving dinner, let's be real. Or to your besties birthday party, right? Or big birthday bash his big birthday bash.

Speaker 1:

The lack of social validation can sometimes feel pretty isolating. And who wants to always show up alone for certain events? You kind of want to have a plus one, isn't that just me? But I would like to have a plus one to special occasion events, right, that's just what I'm saying. Also, you know it also has, like this, communication issues, mixed signals One day they're all about you, the next day they're MIA. That inconsistency can be very darn confusing and, let's be real, a bit heartbreaking.

Speaker 1:

Avoiding the talk because situation ships avoid defining the relationship, you often dodge essential conversations about feelings and expectations, leaving both parties pretty vulnerable. When you avoid important conversations just as such as this, you're leaving so much up to chance and you're hard, wide open for freaking heartbreak. Why are you doing this to yourself? Like you just want to torture yourself? So you know, like so many things in life have an expiration date. Seriously, most situations have a shelf life, whether because someone catches feelings or life circumstance changes. It can end abruptly and the fallout can be pretty messy.

Speaker 1:

So the thing is you want to have an exit strategy. Breaking off a situation ship could be more complicated than the traditional breakup Because the rules were never clear to begin with. It's like trying to untangle a knot of mixed emotions and unset expectations Right when you don't even have a clear path from the beginning. This will end up with either of you like feeling uncertain because never had the talk to know where you stand, and one person could have been developing more and stronger feelings right, more than the other person, but you never expressed it to one another. If you're the one who caught feelings, the exit can feel like a breakup, without any of the closure that typically comes with it. Right?

Speaker 1:

Formally ending a relationship, exiting a situation, might not come with a user manual, right, but if you handle it with maturity, respect and a dash, just a little dash, of emotional intelligence, you'll walk away with your head held high, ready for the next. So what do you do? Pretty much the roadmap. Be honest with yourself. Are you okay with the casualness, the yearning, or are you yearning for more? You have to communicate. This is the golden key, baby. That's the golden key communication.

Speaker 1:

You also have to set boundaries. You set the rules and express them and be clear. Also, take control. This is your love life. You got to steer in the right direction or else you're going to either fall off a cliff, steer right on off a cliff. If you follow somebody else's, no one will walk away. Sometimes the healthiest thing to do is exit stage left. All right. Well, thank you again. That wraps up today's episode. On the situation ship dilemma. I want to know what's your take on it. Have you been in a situation ship? Let's talk about it. I want to hear from you. Thank you again I'm your host, k-love and again, go out and do something great, be something great, because, guess what, you are great and you're destined to be successful and we love you. Thank you, listeners. Thank you, loves, bye.