Youâre a good friend. When something awesome â like say, a new relationship â happens for someone you know, of course youâre beyond happy for him or her. Cue the rose petals and the Michael BublĂ© playlist! Huzzah for the new couple!
Except, letâs be honest: While Romeo and Juliet are dancing around in their newly constructed bubble of love, oblivious to the outside world, their actions can get pretty obnoxious. And there you are, the audience to their love affair â except, unlike a Shakespearean play of old, you canât throw food at them to make them stop. What you can do is sneakily forward them this article.
Please, for the love of our sanity, new couples, stop doing these seven things⊠and for those of you single readers, when your time comes, keep these hints in mind as well. Â
1. You hang out with only each other
There should be a verb for said phenomenon: ghost (verb; to quickly and abruptly vanish from your friendsâ lives, to only hang out with your new paramour, to become suddenly unavailable).
In all seriousness, one of the worst things you can do when you begin a new romance is to forget that you actually had relationships before this. Even if they werenât the kind that involve making out.
Your friends were there for you while you stressed about exams, got a little too tipsy, cried from homesickness and had an internship crisis. In other words, theyâve stuck with you, so now itâs your turn to stick with them.
Itâs so tempting to spend all of your time with your new boyfriend or girlfriend and completely ghost on your friends. However, whether your love lasts or not, youâre going to want to hang out with your friends again â so make a serious effort to maintain a good balance now.Â
2. âIâ suddenly becomes âweâ
PSA: Just because you are now spending a significant portion of your time with another person, cuddling together, watching âyourâ TV show together and going on sushi dates together, does not mean you have merged into a single entity with him or her. We are not two-headed aliens, nor are we Queen Elizabeth. So letâs refer to ourselves in the first person singular, shall we?
Sample dialogue: âWe went to see that new movie with (insert cool actress and actor here). We think (cool actress) has been getting way too much hype! But we thought (cool actor) did a great job.â
Did you hear that? Thatâs the sound of nails on a chalkboard. Itâs screeching through your friendsâ minds as they listen to you. Letâs try again:
âWe went to see that new movie with (insert cool actress and actor here). Iâm not sure why all the critics are saying (cool actress) deserves an Emmy; I thought her performance was pretty weak. (Cool actor), however, was super convincing.â
Much better, right? Youâve spent your whole life developing your own personality, opinions and independence! Now go forth and use them.
3. You engage in serious PDA
Something about a new boyfriend or girlfriend has a way of magnetizing your lips and hands to his or her body and erasing all of your self-control. Itâs like zooming back to the Paleolithic Era. âSuch. Cute. Butt. Must. Touch.â
Hold up, homeboy or homegirl. If your SO is cool with you grabbing his or her tush, then you go right ahead and grab it â in private. Because, although being flirty and fun in public may work for you, it doesnât work for, oh, 99 percent of the population, who incidentally are being held captive to your public display of butt attack.
There’s a good rule of thumb (literally) for deciding whether or not you and your honey boo are being appropriate. Picture your grandmother on the scene. Is she smiling kindly and ready to bake some cookies, or is she frowning in young-people-these-days disapproval? Donât make Nana mad. Dial down the touchiness.
4. You canât stop talking about your relationship (and all of the details)
While you may find it fascinating that your SO has a nut allergy or that his or her first pet was a guinea pig, unfortunately, your friends do not share this fixation. They especially donât want to hear you talk on⊠and on⊠and on about how no one at your SOâs preschool could eat PB&Js or that the rodentâs name was Harry.
Nonstop narration on the details of your boyfriend or girlfriendâs lives isnât only annoying, but itâs also a little rude. Physically, youâre with your friends, but mentally, youâre with your sweet thang. Your friends will inevitably get resentful.
However, this doesnât mean you can never talk about your SO â just make sure itâs a topic of conversation, but not the whole conversation.
5. You act like no one else âgets itâ
When you enter a new relationship, the magical feelings (read: lust, adrenaline, happiness, anxiety) that make you feel like youâre the star of a Disney movie are a little overwhelming. Apart from making you do weird things like burst into song and talk incessantly about your SO (see above), these emotions can also make you feel like youâre the first person in the world to ever feel this way about another person. After all, if everyone walked around in this state, thereâd be spontaneous combustion on the streets.
Okay. Feel free to, in the safety of your own mind, believe that your love is the truest love thatâs ever been brought to life in this universe â but do not share this with the outside world. Do not disregard your friendsâ advice because they âdonât know how it feels.â Do not tell people theyâve never experienced a similar passion. Especially do not act like youâre worthier because youâve been blessed with a history-defying romance.
6. You two are inseparable (and not in a cute way)
Here are some things you should never leave the house without: your keys, some form of money (at least $20), a form of identification, your underwear and your cell phone.
Did you notice what was missing from that list? Your SO.
Unless your boyfriend or girlfriend is about to depart on a multi-year journey, then relax. You will have lots and lots of time to hang out with him or her and count each and every freckle on his or her adorable arm. Therefore, there is no need to take him or her along with you to every activity in your life, from the dentistâs office to drinks with your besties.
Sorry, Jordin Sparks, but you can and will breathe when youâre not with your SO, even if thatâs not how it feels âwhenever [your SO] ainât there.â
7. You take endless couple selfies
Pregnant women may glow, but itâs common knowledge that youâre never as photogenic as when you are in a relationship. Every strand of your hair shines, your smile is flawless, your teeth are white as snow and, by the way, you have an adorable accessory to prop on your arm in pics â your SO.
We understand the urge to document your glory for the world, but trust us: The world is perfectly content with snapshots, not the whole scrapbook. Please limit yourself to a Facebook album or two, and definitely do not get confused into thinking your Instagram followers need a new couple pic every day of the week.
While weâre on the subject of social media, examine your recent tweets and Snapchat stories as well. Are they all about your man or woman? If yes, take note: This is not endearing. This is obsessive. We know you have other interests besides your snuggle buddy, so letâs see âem.
Well, new couples, we wish you the best on your road from I-was-just-single-dom to weâve-been-together-HOW-long?!? land. Itâs a beautiful journey. And if you avoid these mistakes, itâll be a non-obnoxious one as well. Trust us, your friends will thank you.