Relationships pass through phases; long-term relationships also pass through a lot of stages that could make it a successful one or an unsuccessful one.

These are the stages most long-term relationships pass through:

The acquaintance stage

This is like the beginning; when you met your partner newly — the first date, the first kiss and the first everything. At this stage, you are trying to know the basic things about each other.

The infatuation stage

At this stage, the emotions are high and you are both into each other; you can’t wait to be with each other or see each other again — there is an uncontrollable urge for each other, and you might feel like you have never felt this way before.

The understanding stage

At this stage of the relationship, you get to learn more about each other; the feelings are still there, but you know you have to face reality and know the deeper things of that man/woman that you wouldn’t ordinarily see.

The judgement stage

Of course, it’s only natural of humans to make judgement of a situation when they know more about it. So, as you’ve known more about your partner, you begin to form your opinion about that person.

The Hiccup stage

At this stage, the feeling of infatuation isn’t as strong as it used to be; you probably must have seen each other’s flaws that you didn’t think were there in the first place. It’s at this stage a lot of relationships falter, but a successful long-term relationship carries on.

The mending stage

It’s at this stage you try to tolerate each other; you learn to be with each other and shape the relationship. It’s at this stage, you learn to understand each other better and handle the relationship issues as they come; the true foundation of the relationship is built at this stage.

Love or trust

After the mending stage, it’s either love or bust. It’s after the mending stage that you know if you really love your partner in spite of their flaws and truly want to have a relationship with that person. Many relationships make it to this stage and then bust afterwards.

The doubtful stage

You are sure you love your partner, but sometimes doubts might creep in. You could even compare your relationship to others and this could raise certain fears or create doubts. It’s at this stage you get really serious and ask yourself if this is the person you would want to spend the rest of your life with. It’s also at this stage that you try to read meanings into almost every situation.

The stage of trust

If you scale through the doubt stage, you learn to trust your partner and trust where the relationship is heading; it’s at this stage you feel that you are really with the right person and you trust that it would come out good at the end.

The commitment stage

After the trust stage, you and your partner might then take the next step; it could be an engagement or a certain level of commitment to each other. It’s at this stage that you are definite of being with who you want to be with.