A romantic relationship that’s committed and long-term naturally cycles through four seasons of dating with each passing year. As in nature, each cyclical season offers rich opportunities to cultivate together, to grow, and to reap the harvest.
You and your partner move through the ever-changing seasonal phases, you may find that you repeat certain cycles for your personal and spiritual growth. Spending four seasons with your significant other allows you both as individuals to learn and grow, and to become more aligned with your authentic selves.
Taking your time growing through each phase of the natural rhythm of intimate relationships will help you gain a better understanding of self and your partner, and what your love union needs to blossom and go the distance.
Spring
If love is in the air, then it’s springtime for your love connection. Perhaps you’ve recently clicked with someone you’ve flirted with on Chat2Date – the UK’s busiest phone chat line – and have dated and decided to take the situationship to the next level. You’ll know that it’s definitely spring season when a new relationship feels like a wonderfully magical experience.
For singles looking for love, spring is filled with optimism and unlimited opportunities to attract a good match and a great relationship. The season that celebrates fertility and new beginnings is always full of possibilities.
In a healthy relationship, both partners are equally invested in getting to know each other and in discovering shared interests, values, and beliefs at this time. The spring season of dating is also the period when you enjoy all of the exciting ‘firsts’ – the lingering first kiss, the first time you enjoy physical intimacy, and meeting their family and friends.
Summer
Passion comes alive in the honeymoon period of the summer season of dating. It’s an exhilarating time filled with fun activities that can bring you and your partner closer together. Playfully experiencing what the other person has to offer in your relationship is beneficial to understanding their positive qualities, and the dynamics of your intimate romantic partnership.
As summer is also the time when you’re wearing rose-tinted spectacles, and putting your partner on a pedestal to better admire them, you may begin to see some of their flaws.
If you want to grow a healthy relationship, it’s important to ensure that you water your relationship regularly with attention, affection and love. Don’t forget to make time to pull up any troublesome weeds (like emotional issues) as soon as possible.
Autumn
The autumn seasons of dating rewards you for all of the effort and work that you put into the relationship in the spring and summer. The harvest season is when you get to relax and experience deeper commitment.
Significant life moves, like getting engaged or moving in together, typically occur in this seasonal phase. That’s because your love relationship has naturally matured and developed deeper roots and a stronger foundation.
Winter
As winter approaches in a relationship cycle, a time for reflection and growth begins. Some couples find that they reach an early winter much sooner than anticipated, and discover that they’re not a right fit for each other. If you’re not a perfect match, it’s probable that your relationship will fall apart in this seasonal phase and you’ll experience winter alone, resting and contemplating.
Couples that stay together, learn the importance of giving each other space during the season that invites hibernation. By stepping back a little, you and your partner can start to put into practice all that the four seasons of dating have taught you thus far.
Embracing the highs and the lows in a relationship allows you to see through the predictable patterns of behaviour with clarity, and to understand each other’s needs more easily. When you repeat a personal growth cycle together, you’ll learn how to recognise what works and what requires tweaking, and be able to confidently intuit when your partner needs their own space.
The temporary dormancy that a healthy relationship experiences in the winter season of dating naturally evolves and perks up once more when spring rolls round again.