Transitioning from an online relationship to an offline relationship can feel intimidating at first.
However, do try to remember that this person that you have been dating online has gotten to know the person you are quite well so far and hopefully, you have also gotten to know this person well.
This is a really good foundation to start with.
Try to remember just how much you have learned about this person and how much they have learned about you.
Oftentimes, allowing yourself to be aware of this will often help you as you try to figure out how to transition from an online relationship to an offline relationship effectively.
To make this transition, there should obviously be an agreement as to when this should happen.
There should be a mutual understanding of the time frame of when this transition should occur.
As long as you are both in agreement, you should both set your minds to that point in time and begin to prepare.
This should be a time that you are both supportive of each other as far as making this process as fluid and easy as possible.
Try not to get carried away with talking about all the things that the both of you have to do once this transition from an online relationship to an offline relationship happens.
This is often the mistake that people make when they are about to make this transition.
They start talking about all the things that they are going to have to do to the point where they allow their imagination to run wild.
This is not wise.
It only puts undue pressure on the both of you.
It sets expectations of this transition that are unnecessarily and unrealistically lofty.
Instead, simply focus on the logistics of this transition.
Again, this is an area where the both of you can be really helpful to one another.
If the plan is to have the person move to your town or city, you should be helpful in that preparation.
Being that you already know this person quite well based on your online relationship, you would have an idea of what kind of living standards that they can afford and what part of town would best fit them.
You should avoid moving in together at this early stage.
People who are transitioning from an online relationship to an offline relationship often make the mistake of moving in together.
This should not be done so soon.
Even though the both of you have been engaged in a committed online relationship, you still don’t know each other well enough to take a chance on living with each other.
You need to get more experience with being around each other physically.
Being that you have been in an online relationship with this person, the both of you may have met physically only a few times, if at all.
Hence, it is absolutely essential that you don’t assume that living together is the best option with this transition.
You both need to spend a lot more time getting to know each other in the physical world.
If you were to start living together right away with this transition, your relationship may be unnecessarily jeopardized.
You may just keep getting in each other’s way in a manner that you never did online.
Online is a much different medium.
Communicating online tends to have more of a delayed effect.
You have time to respond to a person with thought and preparation.
You don’t really have that kind of advantage in the real world.
When you are in the same physical space as someone, there is a lot more spontaneity.
There is no time to prepare for how you should respond to stimuli, you just do.
If you react in a way that the other person doesn’t like, it could lead to a lot of stress in the relationship.
This is why you shouldn’t rush to live with each other so soon.
Take some time to really get to know each other in the real world.
If you continue sharing the same kind of chemistry that you did while dating online, you may both reach a point where you mutually agree that it would be safe to start living with each other.