How to Tell If You Are Ready to Settle Down

If you’re like us, you’re surrounded by people who are settling down and getting engaged. While you’re happy for your friends, you aren’t sure if you and the person you’ve been dating are at that point yet. Sure, you have a lot of fun together, the sex is amazing, and you seem to just click, but… Settling down? That’s a huge step!

But, what does it mean to settle down?

Well, if you want to go by the Merriam-Webster definition, it means to
• to become quiet, calm, or orderly
• to begin to live a quiet and steady life by getting a regular job, getting married, etc.
• to put oneself into a comfortable position
• to become quiet and begin giving one’s attention to something

How Do You Know If You are Ready to Settle Down?

So, now that we know what exactly it means to settle down, how do you know if you and your partner are ready to take the plunge? Well, let’s take a look at 10 obvious signs of “settling down:”

1. You prefer to stay home, drink some wine, and watch Netflix all night.

2. You threw out most of your clubbing gear.

3. You aren’t watching wedding shows anymore.

4. You prefer watching HGTV or the DIY channel instead of MTV or Comedy Central.

5. You don’t feel the need to go out and get wasted anymore.

6. You aren’t spending an hour or two to get ready for date night — your guy loves the natural you.

7. You balk at the idea of having to try dating again and are thankful you’re in a relationship.

8. You avoid doing anything that could cause your partner distress.

9. You don’t hold onto past relationships and are ready for the future.

10. You are totally smitten by the person you’re with and see a future with them.

Should You Settle Down?

It isn’t uncommon for people to wonder if they should settle down with the person they’ve been dating. While we can’t tell you one way or another if you should settle, ask yourself this, “Am I completely in love with this person? Would I mind waking up next to them every morning? Is there a real future between this person and myself?”
If you can answer these things and you feel a flurry of butterflies in your belly whenever you think of the possibilities, then sure. You may be ready to settle down and start the next chapter of your life together. However, if when you ask yourself those questions and you begin to feel hot and bothered (and not in a good way!), then you may want to rethink the whole thing. If that’s the case, you might want to have a talk with the person you’ve been seeing so that you both are on the same page!

Find our tips on how to move in together with a girlfriend in our article!