Things To Know Before Moving In With A Significant Other

16.

“I’m 32 and have lived with my husband since very early on in our relationship, about 10 years ago. My biggest piece of advice would be to learn to walk away during a fight. It’s easy to keep going and going because you live together. It’s not like one person can leave to go back to their place. My husband and I could go at it for hours without a break.”

“I went to therapy and learned that this is a terrible way to resolve a problem and that giving space is crucial. Now if my husband and I get into it (it’s rare now but still happens!), he’ll tell me he’s taking a walk, he’ll keep his phone on, and be back at a certain time. 

Nine times out of 10 when he returns, he’s cooled off, I’ve cooled off, and we realize whatever we were fighting about was silly. If further conflict needs to be resolved, the time we took to cool off means we can have a constructive and respectful conversation about it. Don’t let your house (or tiny apartment in our case) be a conflict prison! It’s okay to walk away, table a discussion and return when cooler heads can prevail.”

—joljah21