Checklist: 20 signs that your relationship is becoming more serious

Cuddle season has officially started and that's a good thing, because that lockdown is going to stick around for a while. The best thing that can happen to you right now is a budding relationship. Why a budding relationship? Well, here's the thing: in the early stages, you want to be together 24/7, and this lockdown is just perfect for that. On the other hand, if you've been in a relationship for a while, this period can feel a bit suffocating. Of course, I'm not speaking from experience. But hey, maybe you're just starting a relationship (lucky you) or you're quickly looking for a lockdown victim, because dating during the lockdown can lead to a relationship pretty quickly. In no time, you'll be sitting next to each other on the couch like two homebodies. Anyway: when you fall in love with each other, you gradually become more comfortable together. Or worse: you start picking up each other's weird habits. But how do you know when your budding relationship is becoming serious? With these twenty signs, you'll find out.

1. You walk around in each other's clothes
When you get to take home the infamous hoodie, you know things are good: you'll be seeing each other again soon. The more serious your relationship, the bigger the pile of hoodies from your lover.

2. You develop your own rituals
You start creating rituals together and become even more in love because of it. From favorite restaurants where you order UberEats to a favorite coffee spot where you get coffee every weekend. The more rituals, the better.

3. You can tell what each other is thinking
One glance is enough for you. When you can read how your beloved feels about something and vice versa, it gets really serious.

4. You have your own humor
You have the greatest fun and inside jokes together that are really not funny to anyone else.

5. Suddenly you watch First Dates and One Against 50 together
During the first few dates, you were still watching The Notebook, a stage later you started a series together, and now you're just watching these kinds of TV shows. And guess what? You both actually enjoy it.

6. You discuss business with each other
The more serious your relationship, the more you form a team together. And as a team, you discuss everything, including business matters. You value your beloved's opinion highly and like to follow his/her advice.

7. You wear your tiger slippers without shame
Or your pink kimono or sheep wool onesie. You no longer feel ashamed of how you look.

8. You ask the other to check a weird spot on your body
Getting past the shame also means you can ask your beloved without hesitation to take a look at that strange spot on your body. It can even go a step further: popping each other's pimples. Gross but true.

9. You vent your frustrations on each other
When you don't have a relationship yet, you try to bother each other as little as possible with dilemmas. But this completely changes once you're in a relationship. Your beloved is now officially the victim of your mood swings.

10. You pick fights when the other has done nothing wrong
Sometimes you just feel like having a fight. During the dating phase, you let this slide because you're afraid of scaring the other off, but once that relationship is established, this fight-seeking behavior can even become a ritual. Away with that mask.

11. You argue about food on vacation
During your very first trip, this might not happen yet and you adapt to each other quite willingly, but I can tell you: it won't last long. On the next trip, you're definitely going to argue about the restaurant choice (and many more things).

12. You talk to each other in your own baby talk
I find it awful to admit, but I do this myself too. My tip: be careful not to overdo it and especially watch out not to do this when there are other people around.

13. Telling each other what the other wants
You think you know each other so well that you can decide what he/she wants. Maybe this is true nine out of ten times, but still, don't do it. It's quite suffocating.

14. Taking over each other's hobbies/interests
This is only a good thing. The more interests you can share, the more fun it is, of course.

15. Missing each other after just one day
When you're on a pink cloud (usually the first three months), you absolutely can't go a day without each other. A day without your beloved is a day not lived.

16. Speaking in the we-form
I also find this terrible, but I do it quite often myself. ‘We really like this restaurant.’ ‘We love classic movies.’ ‘We don't feel like this.’ Very annoying, but it sneaks in quite quickly, I can tell you.

17. Making future plans
When you think you've found the one, you obviously talk about the future. Or you fantasize about it. In any case, you can't imagine a life without each other.

18. Looking at each other when the other is sleeping
Creepy but true. I still do this every day with a (creepy serial killer-like) smile on my face.

19. Walking around naked in the house
At first, you tried to cover yourself with a towel, but now you jump out of the shower like a naked frog. You simply don't think about it anymore.

20. Showering together
And I don't mean the romantic kind of showering together. No, just the practical kind of showering together because you both have to leave the house around the same time.