“Because situationships are often more casual than traditional relationships”, she says, “there may not be as much support from friends and family during the breakup.” It can make a lonely, difficult time even tougher; not exactly the dream conditions under which to heal healthily.
How long is a situationship supposed to last? Situationships can last for a few days, weeks, months, or even years. Just like in other relationships, there's no expiration date unless one or both of you choose to end the situationship and move on.
But the slow burn of a situationship coming to an end can be just as painful and it's important to acknowledge that, rather than minimising your feelings. It's really heartbreak over the loss of a fantasy – a wish, a longing, a projection that you had about them, a hope, rather than the person themselves.
They found that women tend to be more negatively affected by breakups, reporting higher levels of both physical and emotional pain. Women averaged 6.84 in terms of emotional anguish versus 6.58 in men. In terms of physical pain, women averaged 4.21 versus men's 3.75.
Since there is no clear line or boundary for what a situationship should be and how one should handle it, it can result in emotional and mental trauma, just like it does during a breakup but worse.
Situationship breakups are a special kind of confusing
The undefined nature of situationships can make them singularly hard to recover from, says Jessica Alderson. As she says, “in situationships, there's often a lack of clear boundaries, commitment, and labels, making it difficult to know where each person stands”.
These types of relationships often lack clear boundaries, commitments, and labels, which can lead to confusion and frustration. While situationships may seem convenient at first, they can quickly turn toxic and leave you feeling unfulfilled.
According to a study by David McCandless breakups most frequently happen on Valentine's day, Spring season, April fool's day, Monday, Summer holiday, two weeks before Christmas and Christmas day. After one year, stuff gets real.
In most cases, women are more actively involved in a relationship than men and experience severe emotional pain right after the breakup (1). However, women proactively respond to their feelings and overcome the pain gradually. While men refuse to feel their emotions until later.
Do men, particularly heterosexual men, experience something similar when they go through a breakup? Several studies—both large and small—suggest they have a tougher time than women do when a romantic relationship ends.
A situationship can definitely become a committed relationship if both parties are willing to move it in that direction. Like in any dating scenario, if one party wants to move forward and the other does not, it's not getting off the ground.
If you're feeling down, off, or icky, recognize that you're going through a process of grief and give yourself the support you need to get through it: write in your journal, talk to a therapist, or double-down on your favorite self-care staples, like spending time outdoors, getting a massage, going to dinner with ...
But a situationship ending can be a brutal experience. Sure, commitment may not be present, but you can't take away the pain from a situationship breakup. It hurts just as much as normal breakups do. In some cases, even more.
The good news is, you can turn a situationship into a real relationship. In fact, it happens all the time. Here's what the experts recommend. Bring your partner into your world.
Less than a relationship, but more than a casual encounter or booty call, a situationship refers to a romantic relationship that is, and remains, undefined. "A situationship is that space between a committed relationship and something that is more than a friendship," explains psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert.
The best way to end a situationship is by being completely honest, even if it doesn't feel “nice”. Aim to be respectful, but firm and tell him that the relationship the way it is doesn't work for you. Stay calm and focus on what you want for yourself, not what you wish he would do.
If you're wondering, “do guys hurt after a breakup?” The answer is yes. But if you're waiting for him to approach you about it to talk, you're waiting on a lost cause.
Some data (such as from self-reported surveys) do suggest that men recover from breakups faster than women, according to Paul Hokemeyer, PhD, a marriage and family therapist and author of the book Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough.
Depression. After you realize that bargaining didn't work, you go into the depression phase – one of the hardest stages of grief in a breakup.
Infidelity
Relationship breakup statistics in the Journal of Marriage and Divorce report that 70% of Americans will engage in some form of infidelity at some point during their marriage. Further studies reveal that infidelity is one of the most common reasons people break up.
Three-Month Rule: After a Break-Up
Basically, after a break-up, the three-month rule is a rule that says you and your ex are both given 3 months before entering the dating scene again. Just waiting it out, and mourning that your relationship ended. Just go on with your individual separate lives and see what happens.
Some women are claiming it as an empowering relationship status. Some believe that what specifically makes a situationship empowering is the freedom and the choice. I.e. communicating with your potential partner that you're looking for a situationship and going forward with that clarity is what most agreed works.
A Word From Verywell
A situationship is a casual, undefined, commitment-free relationship. If that's what you're looking for at the moment, it can give you a chance to enjoy the benefits of a relationship without expending too much emotional energy.