The Coasting Season
“When you support each other in your self care, that is the ultimate act of love.”
— Allison Villa
The past few episodes of Couplehood have been about the relationship seasons that all couples experience. If you haven’t listened to the first two episodes in this series, I recommend listening now.
It’s important to understand how these seasons work together because, just like the weather, they follow patterns and have logical transitions between them.
This episode takes a deep dive into the second relationship season, the Coasting Season.
I like to call this season the “yellow light” season, after the traffic signal.
Just like the yellow traffic signal, you can think of the Coasting season as a caution: you don’t want to spend too much time in it before moving onto the next!
The Coasting season follows the Coping season, during which you and your partner dealt with a life event that diverted your time and resources from your relationship.
The Coasting season is all about finding your footing again after a trying time.
Generally your focus is on reconnecting with yourself, figuring out what self care looks like for you, and creating more time for your relationship.
It’s about rebuilding a sense of normalcy after a period that felt like anything but.
Listen to the episode to learn:
Why waiting for parenting milestones before making time for your relationship never works — and how it can lead to empty nest syndrome
How you can speed up your time in the Coasting season — and get to the Connected season more quickly
Your #1 action item for working your way through the Coasting season together
“If your children are the only thing connecting you, they feel that. It feels like a lot of pressure for them. They can’t name it, but it’s deeply, deeply subconscious.”— Allison Villa
Highlights:
01:06 The “yellow light” season
02:05 What does the Coasting season look like?
02:48 Stop waiting for milestones
04:36 Being proactive v coasting
05:17 Transitioning from Coasting to Connected
06:40 Your Coasting action item
09:36 The free season quiz!
Links:
Quiz: What's Your Relationship Season?
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