WE HAVE A ‘SITUATION’ HERE

The dating world’s newest trend, situationship’ seems to be gaining popularity among millennials; experts tell us everything you want to know

Time and again, millennials have been known to do a lot of things differently from the accepted norms in society. Dating is one of the most prominent fields where people from this generation have changed trends in the last few years. One such new trend is called a situationship, which is becoming common these days among millennials.

So, what exactly is this new trend and why are people falling for it? “A situationship is a kind of relationship where you are more than a ‘friend with benefits’ with a person. The only thing missing here is the label or the tag,” says relationship counsellor Shyam Mithiya. In a situationship you are attached to your partner, but there is no label or tag to your bond. Relationship expert, Kinjal Pandya, says that this is a bond where the partners are never committed to each other. She says, “Each partner should be aware that he or she is not in a relationship in this kind of a setup. The only dangerous aspect here is when one gets emotionally involved. This is when the bad side of this relationship starts.”

REACTIONARY MODE

Also, are there any repercussions in such a relationship if one gets emotionally attached to a person? Pandya says, “I strongly believe that it depends from person to person. The role that your personality plays in this kind of a bond is important. Not everybody has the same emotional strength. It is possible that the emotionally weaker partner may get into substance abuse and other harmful stuff if he or she gets emotionally attached and the other partner doesn’t.” Millennials should surely keep this in mind before getting into such relationships.

ESCAPING REALITY

Situationship could also be a way of running away from your everyday problems, and Pandya agrees. She says “Of course it’s a form of escapism. People who are scared of commitment will favour such relationships. Situationship doesn’t mean that both of you are in it only for the physical attraction. This comes later. Initially, you are emotionally inclined to your partner. The physical aspect comes when you start having a comfort level with a person. It is not an emotionless relationship, but. it’s the emotion that brings and holds two people together in such a bond. There is something very deep that you feel in such relationships for that person. But, somewhere down the line, you are either not prepared or you don’t have the confidence to date or get into a commitment.”

Getting emotionally attached to someone, who is not attached to you, is never easy. So, what should you do if you are in a situationship? Mithiya says that communication is the key here. He says, “You must talk Not seen socially together Avoiding acknowledging your relationship on social media Avoiding putting pictures on social media Not adding each other on social networking sites Your conversations are starkly different when you are together, from the ones that you have while in public to the other person about your basic expectations and get clarity in order to avoid maximum damage in a situationship. Once you find out what the other person feels, the ideal way is to distance yourself and end the relationship if it gets too overwhelming for you to handle.” Mithiya adds, “If one person is getting attached, the partner in such a bond tries to drift away. This is a sign that the bond may end. This is also a signal that you are in a situationship and not a relationship.”