Getting married can seem like the logical next step in any committed relationship.
How do you know if you're really with someone you can spend the rest of your life with? Being ready for marriage depends more on your mindset and maturity than it does on how perfect the other person is for you.
Here are some ways to tell you're not ready for marriage: 1.
You're still fanning old flames In this age of Facebook, texting, and instant messages, it is easy to have a "relationship" with anyone.
Your past doesn't need to stay in your past.
You can friend all your exes, and no one but you really knows what you talk about online late at night.
It is okay and even desirable to have friendships with your exes, but if you are spending a lot of time checking their social media and talking with them, or if you feel the need to hide your connection to exes from your present partner, you're holding the door open for other lovers.
You probably aren't ready to commit yourself to just one person.
2.
You seem single to others Are you still hitting the clubs? Are people still hitting on you? When a person is really committed to someone else, there is no need for possible suitors to check for a wedding ring.
You just seem "taken.
" If you're in a serious relationship but you're still flirting with other people and still seeking validation that you're attractive to others, you're sending a message that you're available.
Again, you're still playing the field and you're probably not ready to settle down.
3.
You are unwilling to change Are you always right? Do you expect your life and your surroundings to stay the same, no matter what happens in your relationship? A big part of marriage is compromise and change.
In a marriage, there are three entities: you, your partner, and the relationship you create together.
You'll both put parts of yourselves into this relationship, and it will show in the way your home looks, how you treat each other, and how you grow and change together.
If none of that sounds appealing, you probably don't want marriage.
4.
You're afraid of breaking up Fear of losing your partner isn't enough to keep a relationship going.
Sometimes people stay with their current partners because they cannot imagine life without them.
Even if the relationship isn't what they'd like it to be, the wide unknown of life without them is a much scarier prospect.
A good marriage must have a foundation in love and honesty, not in fear.
You can be honest about how you feel and communicate this to your partner and start building a foundation that may lead to marriage later on, but you're not there yet.
5.
Everyone expects you to marry...
...
but you're not so sure.
In all good relationships, there comes a time when people start bringing up the idea of making it permanent.
But marriage isn't a logical next step on a planned timeline.
It is a choice people make together, and it is one that they continue to make every day for the rest of their lives.
You don't need to get married because it is "time.
" You are free to be a couple at your current level until and if you are ready to commit to something else together.
You'll know if you're ready for marriage.
There may be uncertainty, but there will also be the underlying knowledge that the two of you can make this work, and you want it to last forever.
Until then, be happy and don't rush.
There's time for you to go at your own pace.