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In a romantic relationship, friendship is super important! The candlelit dinners and picnics at sunrise are what fuel romance and flip you head over heals for that special someone. How about goofy game nights at home, talking over drinks until the early hours of the morning, and learning every intricate detail of your partner – those are the experiences that form trust and a resilient friendship. When you find the beautiful balance of romance and friendship, you will have a relationship that’s not only fun and fulfilling, but also capable of facing any possible challenge. Friendship a key component that’ll impact the health and strength of your partnership. Having the pleasure of calling your partner your best friend is a constant reminder of how special your bond truly is.
“Friendship is a love that never dies.” – Mario Quintana
– Continue reading to learn about the importance of friendship in your relationship –
The Key Parts of a Relationship That You Need to Understand
Romance is the vibrant heartbeat of your relationship! Moments of romance ignite passion, joy, and a sense of enchantment. (What is Romance in a Relationship? – Paired Magazine)
Trust is the cornerstone of your romantic relationship. It provides a strong foundation that fosters emotional intimacy, vulnerability, and the belief that your partner is (and will continue to be) a reliable and faithful companion!
Effort demonstrates commitment, strengthens your connection, and influences your shared journey of growth and love. The amount of effort you put into your relationship will correspond with the strength of it.
Intimacy is the profound emotional and physical connection that binds you with your partner. Strong intimacy fosters a deep connection, and understanding that enhances the richness and fulfillment of your partnership.
Friendship brings trust, effort, and intimacy together. It’s the aspect of your romantic relationship that gives you and your partner the confidence that you’ll make it through anything and everything!
The Beauty of Friendship
Friendships are often defined as relationships where two people share feelings of fondness, and are caring and supportive of each other. Good friends are there for you on the good days and the bad ones, pick you up if you fall and constantly encourage to be your best. True friendship is the type of connection where you dive further than the surface level, authenticity thrives, judgement is removed and your world is made that much more colourful! Those wonderful bonds make life fulfilling, meaningful and, well, beautiful! That’s exactly why friendship is so darn beautiful.
For the same reasons, friendship in a relationship is wonderful. Have you noticed that romance stands on the same foundation of values as friendships? It all starts with mutual effort, trust, support and encouragement.
A Snippet of Our Story
Relationship Fluent would never have been created if it wasn’t for us (Jordan and Taylin) becoming friends. It is through our own experiences that we have found out how amazing it is when a romantic relationship blossoms from a friendship.
Thanks to being at the same school and having mutual friends, in 2012 we first crossed paths. After some months of small talk through text, we had one video chat that changed the trajectory of our relationship (and even though we didn’t know it at the time, that phone call changed our entire lives)! From that conversation onwards, we got to know each other a whole lot better and grew closer by the day. In 2014, our paths went in different directions – Taylin’s family moved out town, and we were no longer at the same school. On top of the move, some feelings were confessed and so we entered… the friendzone! Distance and inconsistent contact played as key challenges for us. Despite that, the friendship continued to thrive. We started creeping out of the dreaded friendzone in 2016 – thank goodness! In December that year, the sparks ignited a flame. Our first kiss kicked off our journey of romance and we were finally together!
7 years in and we are still as happy as we were that December night. Actually, scratch that, we’re even happier! Our story is one of many that prove friendships can turn into something more (From Friends to Lovers – 11 stories). So, yeah, the friendzone isn’t necessarily a phase to dread. In fact, it is a phase to embrace. Take the opportunity of when you are friends with someone you love to get to know them on an even deeper level, understand their unique characteristics and their life journey. Friendship does not end when two people get together, it evolves. We are best friends and soul mates, and you 100% deserve this type of relationship too!
The Reasons Friendship is so Important in a Romantic Relationship
Friendship is a crucial component of a romantic relationship, providing a solid foundation that enhances the connection between you and your partner. Here are ten reasons why friendship is so important in a romantic relationship:
Common Interests and Hobbies
Shared activities provide great opportunities for quality time and bonding. Quality time is highly sought after in romantic relationships, and if you have the same interests, there is much more opportunity for connecting. Most friendships have common interests play a role. For example, you and your long-time mate from school may have bonded over a love for rock music. That love for the genre brings about certain conversations and leads you to go to events together. If you share hobbies and/or interests with your partner, you can sustain an authentic friendship. It means that when the romance isn’t present at any point, you’ll still have things that you love to talk about and go do with one another!
Humor and Playfulness
Laughter is so so powerful! Friends often connect through humour, and there is no reason partners can’t connect the same way. Rolling on the floor riddled with laughter really is a great bonding activity. When you have friendship in a relationship, you connect in a way that is deeper than the surface level. Sharing the same type of humour in a relationship allows you both to have a playful romance and create a lighthearted atmosphere. It helps you to relax, reduce stress and provide another element of joy! Being able to break the seriousness of everyday life by cracking jokes, tuning into a sitcom or attending a comedy act is so wonderful.
Honest and Open Communication
Healthy friendships are built on open and honest communication. In your romantic relationship, a strong friendship fosters this effective communication, encouraging you and your partner to express thoughts, feelings, and concerns without fear of any judgment. That transparency and lack of judgement tremendously helps you grow and mature as a couple. Effective communications plays such a big role in all aspects of your relationship, from making joint decisions, to talking about time in the bedroom, to resolving conflicts. It’s certainly not something you can click your fingers and have – effective communication takes practice, and you need to learn how each other prefer to communicate.
Trust and Loyalty
Trust and loyalty are essential elements in any successful relationship. Partners who are also friends are more likely to be reliable and supportive, and that creates a secure and trusting environment. Ask yourself this: What’s the biggest difference between your close friends and other friends? Thought of it? From our experiences, we can say that our closest of friends are the ones we trust the most, and the ones who always show up when it counts. That’s what your partner is there for too! You should feel comfortable trusting your S.O. as you would a best friend.
Understanding and Empathy
Friends are known for their ability to understand and empathise with each other. Friendship in a romantic relationship ensures that you and your partner truly know and understand each other, creating a deeper connection. In the early stages of a relationship, it is super important to make an effort to learn things about your partner (The Most Important Ingredient in a Relationship, Thrive). If there is little to no effort made, the relationship can lose it’s spark and fizzle out. Learning about your partner and their life will be meaningful and it’ll allow you to empathise a whole lot better.
Emotional Support
Your social network is a great form of emotional support. It’s nice when you have multiple friends to call upon when things go wrong, or simply when you need a shoulder to cry on. If you are best friends with your S.O. it means you have a built-in support system. They’re the one you can count on. Both you and your partner can lean on each other during challenging times. Emotional support is not just for the bad times, it’s also needed for the good times. Your partner will be your cheerleader as you strive towards your dreams, and you’ll celebrate together during moments of joy!
Comfortably Vulnerable
Strong friendship within a romance allows for comfortable vulnerability, enabling you and your other half to be truly genuine with each other. You may find it quite difficult to open up to new people (especially a new partner), and that is very common. Forming a foundation from trust and building a friendship with your partner will bring you closer together, and you will feel more and more comfortable as time passes. Reaching a stage of being open about your vulnerabilities will be a significant milestone in your journey – because, like we mentioned, it’s not easy. After opening up to your friend and partner, they will be able to offer you even better support, you’ll feel the weight on your shoulders be removed and you’ll grow extremely close.
Maintaining Independence
A sense of independence and autonomy is important to have when you’re in a committed relationship. This ensures that both of you continue to grow as individuals while still being integral parts of each other’s lives. Friends certainly can fall into the trap of becoming too dependent on one another, but as you mature and establish who you are as an individual, you grow that much needed sense of independence. As a couple, you can also fall down that same trap. So, it’s good to do what you can to not lose your independence. Developing your friendship in your relationship will give you the confidence to be on your own, be your own person, and pursue your hobbies and dreams. Your partner should not hinder your independence, in fact, they should encourage it! At the end of the day, you’ll find a balance between independence and togetherness based on your specific partnership.
Resolving Conflicts
Navigating conflicts has to be one of the toughest challenges of any relationship. Long-term friends can be capable of navigating conflicts more effectively. That’s because the more you know a person, and the better you understand their behaviour, you are able to approach arguments more constructively. This skill translates well into a romantic relationship when you and your partner have made an effort as friends. A solid friendship promotes healthy conflict resolution, as you’re more likely to be patient, understanding, and a willing to find common ground.
Building a Life Together
When you are friends with your partner, you’re more likely to collaborate on shared goals, dreams, and plans for the future. Through these goals and plans, you can create a fulfilling life path for you to journey through together. Your friendship is built on core values such as trust and respect. Those values which your friendship and relationship stand upon do direct you in building a life together. Without a strong friendship, you can lack motivation to build your ideal life together. Do not let your future together fall to the wayside – form that deep bond as friends that’ll bring you closer with each other!
In summary, a secure friendship within a romantic relationship lays the groundwork for a genuine, fulfilling and meaningful connection. Your friendship with your S.O. provides the emotional, social, and practical support necessary to navigate the complexities of life as a team.
If you are fortunate enough to have your own story of friends becoming lovers, then please, feel welcome to share it below in the comments 💕
