5 Signs Your Relationship Is Hurting Your Friends

Everyone knows how intoxicating a new relationship can be. Those first weeks when you’re swamped with love hormones are heady ones and it’s totally normal to want to spend every second of every day with your new boo. The only thing is, that early love rush is temporary. No one stays in crazy-love forever and when you’re spending all of your time wrapped up in your new love’s eyes, your relationship might be doing serious damage to your other relationships. While most people will be understanding of your absence in the early days, continuing that kind of joined at the hip behavior after a month or two is a definite no-no. So what are the signs your relationship is ruining your friendships?

Well, here's the other thing: Your friends probably won’t tell you that you’ve started acting like a lovestruck idiot. There aren’t really any socially acceptable ways to say, “Hey hon? The way you act around your boo is hella annoying, which is why I never call anymore. Wanna cut it out?” Instead, most people will just ghost on you or pull the slow fade away. You might not notice until the relationship ends and you’re suddenly single and without even one friend to go cry on.

Think that’s a scary fate? Here are five signs that your relationship is bad for your friendships, so you can make sure you never end up in that no-friend zone.

1. You Always Include Your Significant Other In Your Plans

Even if your friends love your new boo, they want some you time! Unglue your lips for enough time to go out for drinks sans-SO once in a while.

2. All You Talk About Is Your Significant Other

And on those nights out? Make sure you have something to talk about other than how great your babe is. You know, things like work and other friends and random blog posts you read on the internet. Normal stuff.

3. Your Friends Have Stopped Inviting You Out

If your friends have straight up stopped inviting you out, that’s a pretty damn good sign that your relationship is hurting your friendships. Take a second and think about it: Is there anything else that could be causing the lack of phone calls? Probably not. Rectify.

4. You’ve Stopped Reaching Out

Yeah, you’re in big love but if you’ve stopped reaching out to your friends, you’re the one doing the damage to your relationships. Take the time to make the time to keep those relationships strong — all it takes is a text.

5. Your Only Friends Are “Our Friends”

While it’s totally normal to have more and more mutual friends as you get further into a relationship, it’s not normal or healthy to have only mutual friends. If you catch yourself saying “our friends” all the time and never “my friends” anymore and you’re not really spending time with your pre-relationship friends, it’s time to reassess your priorities.

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