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Author: Expert reviewer:
March 31, 2020
Contributing writer
By Emily Gaudette
Contributing writer
Emily Gaudette is a freelance writer and editor who has a literature and film studies degree from Bryn Mawr College. She has covered entertainment, sexuality, and relationships for Newsweek, SYFY, Glamour, Inverse, SELF, TV Guide, and more.
Expert review by
Nicole Beurkens, Ph.D., C.N.S.
Holistic Child & Family Psychologist
A unique combination of clinical psychologist, nutritionist, and special education teacher, Dr. Nicole Beurkens, Ph.D., has almost 20 years of experience supporting children, young adults, and families. She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a Master’s in Nutrition and Integrative Health, and a Master’s in Special Education, and is trained in numerous specialty areas.
March 31, 2020 Most people love flirting and going on promising dates with a new person. But after the initial high of getting to know an attractive new person, some of us find ourselves feeling restless and bored. If this is you, you might identify as someone who likes "the chase" rather than a relationship. You may have even gathered that you're not cut out to settle down with anyone at all.What does it mean when you lose interest as soon as you start a new relationship?
It's totally normal for sparks to fade after the initial kindling. According to sex therapist and registered psychotherapist Chelsea Page, DHC, LPC, M.S., losing interest in one's partner after a relationship starts to deepen is extremely common. "When the novel energy of an early connection goes down, everything just levels out. Desire levels out, the newness fades, and all the blocks that can get in the way of your sexual energy and interest will start to emerge again," says Page.
Page also says couples tend to cite a decrease in the frequency of their sexual experiences together as a sign that something's wrong, although that's a flawed metric. "It's never really about the quantity of intimate acts between a couple. It's about the quality."
However, if you notice yourself feeling uninterested in everyone you date, regardless of how enticing they seem during the early days of courtship, you could be wrestling with some underlying attachment issues.
How attachment styles affect your intimacy style.
Signs that you're encountering some deep-seated intimacy blocks are subtle, but they tend to involve two major feelings: anxiety or apathy.
"If your thoughts around intimacy or the relationship feel anxious or pervasive, and you're preoccupied with stress from your life or the outside world, that could be an indicator." People with anxious attachment styles tend to exhibit an intense need for validation from their partner; when those needs aren't met, the individual might push away the love interest instead. On the other hand, people with avoidant attachments are just downright uncomfortable with intimacy in general.
And listen, if you default to these emotions and reactions—you're not a bad person, nor are you doomed in love forever. "Your natural humanness starts to come out in time," Page says, "and trying to ignore your needs is like trying to ignore having a knife in your side. You have to pull it out and heal the wound."
What to do about it: Heal from within.
It's possible that you're just not ready to settle into a relationship, and that's perfectly fine! But you do owe it to yourself to determine why you haven't found the right match, or if you have underlying questions you need to answer for yourself first.
You should also remember that "settling down" into a new relationship isn't the same thing as losing interest. You might think that once the spark is gone, that means the relationship is over. That's just simply not true: In fact, it's a sign that you are moving into a more steady, comfortable phase of the relationship—that's a healthy next step. And there's no telling when you might move into this phase. "There are a lot of dubious sources out there that try to give people a timeline for this kind of thing," Page says, "but just as everyone is unique, every partnership is unique too. It depends on what's going on in your lives, and it varies."
Now as for addressing intimacy issues, Page notes you can and should educate yourself responsibly: "Books, articles, and blog posts on intimacy are essentially doorways into this area of self-exploration," she says. "Sometimes, just opening the door is enough for people, but a relationship with a professional can help you get through that doorway."
So if you find that exiting a relationship as it starts to get serious is a behavior pattern you can't fully control, consider asking for professional help. Page says fear is often the biggest thing keeping people from untying this particular knot. "You have to ask yourself, 'Do I want a great relationship with someone eventually?' If the answer is yes, then say that you'll do what it takes. And if you're scared, then do it scared!"
