There are so many types of relationships in our society, including both friendships and dating relationships, but it can all get complicated. Dating relationships vary from exclusive relationships, open relationships, long distance relationships, casual, friends with benefits and more, but then when the relationship ends, it sucks. People tell lies or say they don’t feel the same for you anymore and other things. It hurts.

Some people prefer exclusive relationships since these feel like loyal, committed relationships. However, when students invest so much time in just one person and then it doesn’t work out, it can be devastating. Be careful about giving too much to any one person before you are old enough and capable of actually getting married. Try to maintain a balance and stay tight with your girlfriends and guy friends too so you have a support system if your relationships suffers an atomic doom. 

Having a best friend you can tell anything and everything is wonderful, whether it’s romantic or not. You can be yourself when you know each other for a long time and eventually you may get married. The person makes you feel good about yourself. Like in all relationships, sometimes they can make you sad or angry, but you know they are sorry. “I think part of the reason why we hold on to someone so tight is because we fear something so great won’t happen twice,’ an anonymous Skyline freshman said. However, it’s important to keep things in perspective. If you can fall in love once, you can likely fall in love again, and as the adage goes, there are always more fish in the sea.

Open relationships are relationships that are not exclusive. Perhaps you really like each other and are attracted, but your relationship is secure enough that you can still go out with other people. These kinds of relationships are ideal because they allow you to get to know a wide variety of people and see how compatible you are with a wide variety of personalities. Also, you are less susceptible to getting your feelings hurt since you have an abundance of friends and not all of your emotions are tied up with one person. However, open relationships can be bad because you may stress and wonder how the other person really feels and if they like you more than the other people you are dating. You may find yourself in a difficult situation where you feel like you are in a tug-or-war between multiple dating partners. 

Long distance are especially challenging. There is nothing wrong with that, it means wherever you are you are thinking about the person no matter what. People may say it’s never going to to last or it’s not serious, but they are wrong about that because if you want to live together, you have to know how to live apart, and juggling a long distance relationship is a great way to see how committed the other person is. It will make you feel good in the morning and night because they will always be the first person to blow up your phone. 

Sometimes the person you are seeing really doesn’t value you as a significant other, but just expects you to be a friend with benefits, meaning they want to make out with you, but they don’t really see a future with you, nor do they want to commit to you. These kinds of relationships are very dangerous. Your hormones can mess with your mind. It feels good in the moment, but then it makes you feel bad later when you don’t really feel loved and appreciated by the other person. You often end up feeling used. Make sure to set some boundaries for yourself about what is okay and what is not okay in terms of behavior with a friend, and then make sure you respect yourself enough to keep things within those boundaries. Be your own best friend: Your self esteem with thank you for protecting it.