We’ve all either been in the friendzone, or have friendzoned someone at one point in our lives. But whether you’re the friendzoned or the friend-zoner (take a shot everytime we mention ‘friendzone’), it’s not a great place to be in. Who wants to be ‘just friends’ with someone they wanna date?
Chances are, none of us chose to be put in the friendzone, because it’s not up to us. But wouldn’t you rather embrace the fact that you’re not a romantic prospect for them, than constantly obsessing over all the “what ifs” and “maybes”? Today, we’re here to tell you that being in the zone isn’t as bad as it seems, and why it’s actually a great place to be in!
No Labels
Relationships have now become more complicated than they were 30 years ago, with the endless number of partners people seem to have, as well as the many different labels out there. There’s the talking stage, in a relationship, casual relationships, friends with benefits, open relationships and all kinds of labels that seem to be the main focus of this generation’s dating scene. For many of us, being in a committed relationship with someone you love seems to be the ultimate goal. But of course, things don’t always work out the way we want to. And though some of the labels do sound appealing, and might just be the right kind of relationship you want, nothing will be as straightforward as pure friendship.
Look, we get that being friends wasn’t necessarily part of the plan, but having no expectations is better than getting disappointed. When there are labels, there are expectations, and what happens when you don’t meet those expectations? You fall flat on your face and your relationship is damaged. There’s a lot that can go wrong in romantic relationships, but there are NO expectations in the friendzone, all you need to do is to be a good friend!
Starting Out As Friends
Even though you’re in the friendzone, that doesn’t mean the door is closed forever. People change over time, and so do relationships. While there is more than one pathway to romance, the “friends-to-lovers” pipeline seems to be the most desirable one out of all of them.
When you start off as friends, you get to know everything about each other, since there’s no filter, no expectations, and you can just be yourselves around each other. But, like any kind of relationship, there’s always pitfalls, since not all relationships work out. Can you go back to being friends? Will everything be more complicated? That’s why you should just let nature take its course, and let things happen naturally; don’t expect anything romantic out of the friendship, because that’s just gonna end up with you getting hurt.
They Trust You
When times are tough, we often lean on the person we trust the most. It can be family, our significant others, or our close friends. If you’re in the friendzone and you haven’t crossed any lines, you might just be one of the people they lean on when times are tough. Just like romantic relationships, it’s built on mutual trust. When you’re placed in the friendzone, that means they wanna keep you around for a long while and that they trust you.
Plus, one of the benefits of being in the friendzone is that you won’t have to worry about your partner leaving you when something goes wrong. In a friendship, you don’t have to worry about being left behind since it’s built from a place of pure trust.
Genuine Friendships
There are no ties or obligations in friendships. No possessiveness or jealousy. Remember, the friendship itself is the prize, and it doesn’t always have to be anything more from that. If someone puts you in the friendzone, all you can really do is to respect their wishes. Just like how you can’t help how you feel about them, they can’t help how they feel about you. Just don’t take it too personally. While it’s normal to feel some pain and feelings of rejection, it’s only temporary. Just think of it as forming a genuine friendship that will last a long time.
