10 Physical Signs You're In The Honeymoon Phase Of A Relationship

Not that the body can think, per se, but it definitely seems to have a mind of its own when you're is in the honeymoon phase. All that person you're into has to do is walk into a room and your body responds immediately.

"You might find increased sexual arousal and frequency of sexual intercourse," board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Edelman, tells Bustle.

As certified clinical sexologist, sexuality counselor and author of My Husband Wont Have Sex With Me and The Ultimate Intimacy Guide For Passionate People, Dr. Dawn Michael, tells Bustle, "The physical signs are that of the body wanting the other person. "For women, it can be she gets wet and she feels desire as her body gets turned on just from the presence of the person. He gets an erection and zeros in on her with intense focus."

According to Dr. Michael, the bodies of two people in the honeymoon phase “literally crave each other.” Whether it's a matter of having all that sex or just being wrapped up in each other's bodies, the yearning is real.

If , in the early stages of a relationship, you've found yourself able to stay up all night long with your partner, without getting tired, it's because of increased energy.

According to Dr. Edelman, a physical sign of the honeymoon phase is increased energy — for which we can thank adrenaline, as it's one of the hormones that's being released during this phase, in addition to dopamine and serotonin.

If the first thing you do after a long day at work is look for your partner when you come home, that’s a good sign that you’re still in the honeymoon phase. As Laura Silverstein, LCSW, certified couples therapist and author of Love Is an Action Verb, tells Bustle, couples who do this tend to prioritize their relationship.

“Let's face it, life is busy,” she says. “Many times we enter our homes with arms full of groceries while chatting on the phone and closing the door behind us with an elbow or heel. But when you make it a daily habit to track your partner down for a millisecond of connection before tending to the rest of your responsibilities it keeps you and your partner feeling loved and connected.”

"You smile when your eyes lock with your partner," says Amy Levine, sex coach and founder of Ignite Your Pleasure, tells Bustle, "and [you] make and take the time to do [it]."

Although we should, ideally, be smiling at least once a day, you can recognize someone in the honeymoon phase because even just a look at their partner will bring on the smiling.

You can still find yourself in the honeymoon phase after years of being together. According to Silverstein, it’s not impossible to hold on to the kind of chemistry you first had at the beginning of the relationship. It does, however, take a bit of intentionality. One of the the best ways to keep the passion alive is to initiate affection throughout the day without any intentions of it leading to something more.

“By kissing, holding hands, and giving massages, you are nonverbally reminding each other that you are lovers, not roommates,” Silverstein say. “This often makes the let-down easier if one person is not in the mood for sex.”

"There is also the idea of hyper-focus that happens where [the two people] focus attention on each other, more so than anything else," says Dr. Michael. "This can be caused by hormones — men and women both release healthy amounts of testosterone and estrogen —in the brain leading to lust based in our biology of mating."

Although totally normal, makeout sessions tend to dwindle as relationships progress, but in the early stages, they're hot and heavy and frequent. According to Levine, you're not just giving each other a peck, but frenching all the d*mn time.

When the physical reaction is so all-encompassing, so non-stop, so near-obsession, everything gets affected — emotions included. "The hormones can be so powerful," says Dr. Michael, "that they affect emotions as well." But this is actually a good thing because if the emotions weren't there, you'd never evolve in your relationship.

Couples in the honeymoon phase give each other the benefit of the doubt when someone is moody or drops the ball and forgets to do something they said they would. You don’t automatically assume the worst or get negative.

“Thriving relationships stay fresh when you remember you're in a relationship with an imperfect human being who makes mistakes,” Silverstein says. “They forget to do things, and they get stressed out and moody. You can stay in the honeymoon phase by expecting these things to be normal parts of your love life.”

According to her, partners who are happiest always look for ways to “elevate each other’s awesomeness.” They never dwell on their faults. If you keep a positive mindset about your relationship, you can stay in the honeymoon phase for a long time.