If you’re happy in your relationship, then talking about the future is only natural; whether it’s taking your relationship to the next level and making it official, moving in together, or getting married, knowing when the time is right can be tricky. So how can you communicate with your partner effectively about relationship progression? 

Lovehoney has partnered with sex and relationship expert Annabelle Knight to reveal tips on talking to your partner about taking your relationship to the next stage and knowing when it’s the right time to progress in your relationship.

Dismiss the idea of right and wrong

When you’re talking to your partner about progressing your relationship to the next level, it’s important to remove any notion of ‘winning.’ This is a conversation not with one partner pitted against the other but two people side by side against the world.

Keep your focus

If the conversation begins to spiral or evolve to be about something completely different, then agree to take a step back and get back on track.

Learn to listen

More often than not, we spend time during deep conversations waiting for our partner to finish their sentence, so we can start ours. This prevents us from hearing what your other half is trying to say. So, for any important conversations, make sure you tune into their words so you can hear their meaning.

Process properly

After you’ve both said your piece, take some time to process what’s been said, how it’s made you feel and what you want to do about it.

Seek clarity

Don’t be afraid to ask your partner to repeat any points you don’t understand. Moving forward in any relationship relies heavily on understanding your partner; this goes for what they mean when they speak and who they are as a person.

How do you know when it is the right time to progress in a relationship?

Whether taking your relationship to the next level and making it official, moving in together, or getting married, knowing when the time is right can be tricky. The answer to these questions largely lies in how you feel about one another and your visions for the future – not just for what you want to achieve as an individual, but for what you want for your relationship.

Having an open and honest dialogue with your partner about these things is your best bet; however, this isn’t always how things pan out in real life. We might be fearful of rejection, so we hold our feelings in, we may be worried about rushing our partner to slow things down, or it could be that we keep meaning to have that chat, but life keeps getting in the way.

Knowing when the right time to progress in your relationship can be difficult, but if you consider the following points, you may have an answer for yourself. I’ve created the acronym T.I.S.S – Trust, Intimacy, Security, Support, to help couples determine if the time is right.

Trust

Trust is a key component of any happy and healthy relationship. It’s also something that isn’t earned overnight. If you and your partner can, hand on heart, say that you trust one another, it may be time to progress your relationship.

Intimacy

Make sure you and your partner are on the same page regarding how often you’re intimate and what levels of affection you need from your partner.

Security

Nope, I’m not talking about burglar alarms but about how safe and secure you feel with your partner.

Support

Supporting your partner and knowing that they, in turn, support you is one of the cornerstones of a long-lasting and meaningful partnership.

If you can wholeheartedly tick these things off, and know that your partner can do the same, then maybe it’s time to speak to them about taking your relationship to the next level.