Experts say: a ‘soft launch’ is the ideal announcement of your relationship

The beginning of a new relationship is perhaps one of the most enjoyable periods. You are completely in that love bubble and (almost) no one knows that you are together. As exciting as this is, you also get tired of the questions from your family about whether you are bringing a plus one this Christmas. But what if you are actually not ready for all the opinions about your new partner? Relationship experts have a solution: try a ‘soft launch.'.

A little teaser

Instead of immediately changing all your profile pictures and sharing an intimate photo of you together on Instagram, you approach it a bit more subtly with a ‘soft launch.’ You can see it as a teaser of your relationship. You hint at the fact that you are no longer single, but keep your new partner's identity a secret for a while. There are various ways to do this. A photo on the terrace showing only your partner's hands and wine glass already says a lot, but keeps it a bit mysterious. You can also post a group photo or a photo dump where your new lover is somewhere to be found. Your surroundings can gradually get used to the idea that you have a relation and you still have some time to think about how and when you will make that extensive announcement.

A bit more time

According to relationship expert Devyn Simone, there are several reasons why you (as a couple) might choose a ‘soft launch.’.

1. You have more time to discover your feelings
In the beginning of a relationship, you are completely on your pink cloud and everything seems perfect. But really getting to know someone and determining if you are compatible takes a bit longer and can turn out to be unpleasant. With a ‘soft launch,’ you have more time to discover how you really feel and prevent presenting someone as ‘the one,’ only to break up two weeks later.

2. You can slowly introduce someone to family and friends.
Taking your new partner to a family dinner or a gathering with friends for the first time can be quite awkward. All attention suddenly goes to you, and everyone wants to know everything. By gradually sharing more about your lover, your surroundings can calmly get used to you being in a relationship. They learn a little more information bit by bit and won't bombard you with hundreds of questions.

3. It protects you from disappointment
Although the beginning of a new relationship is very nice, it is also very uncertain. What if it doesn't work out between you? According to Simone, a ‘soft launch’ prevents the disappointment and embarrassment of having to end your budding relationship. “It provides a sense of protection in case that new relationship doesn't work out in the long run. You also have fewer photo memories of the person (and fewer photos to delete) on your social media.”

4. It stops the questions about your relationship status
As the only single in the family or friend group, you constantly get that one question: when are you going to bring someone along? And believe me, you get tired of that. With a ‘soft launch,’ you can subtly silence everyone without having to share all the details right away.

If this little teaser has gone well and you are really ready, you can grab that megaphone and shout your happiness from the rooftops.

Source: PureWow