You know those times after a breakup when you’ve fully stepped back from a bad relationship and spent a lot of time with your very best friends and thought to yourself, I wish I could just marry my best friend and call it a day. As it happens, that is something that is completely possible and fairly advisable for a lot of folks out there.
At the core of a platonic life partnership is a strong foundation of friendship. It also works in aspects of marriage, and for some, polyamory, because platonic life partnership leaves the door open to dating as well. Basically, for some, you’re open to discovering new relationships because you’ve built a life partnership that revolves around not romantic love but friendship, commitment, and respect.
If it still sounds kind of confusing, there are actually a lot of benefits to explore in a platonic life partnership. Let’s take a look.
It takes the pressure off your romantic relationship(s).
If you’re currently in a long-term relationship or partnership, think back to some of the most traumatic and toxic behaviors you may have experienced throughout the hard times. For a lot of people, a good portion of that turmoil can stem from feelings of jealousy, resentment, or hurt feelings that can often come along for the ride during an intimate relationship.
In a platonic life partnership, you take that romantic and sexual stuff off the table, so it can really help to alleviate the pressure that leads to miscommunications and disagreements that can start to feel stifling and super stressful.
You don’t have to worry about working in a healthy sex life with your partner that’s satisfying to you both or what they might think if you’re attracted to someone new because it’s a platonic partnership. And in the long run, taking that edge off in a long-term partnership can really help to strengthen it in other areas.
You get a partner in financial and family matters.
With prices for real estate still skyrocketing, or even if you’re looking to start a family by a certain age, you can really start to feel those societal pressures in the dating world over time if things haven’t been going your way. And it can start to feel as though you might never have those things you’ve been longing for if you’re family-minded or looking to invest in a home.
A platonic life partnership can offer a partner in financial matters as well as a person to start a family with, which can be a really beautiful option for a lot of people. And you don’t have to worry about a messy breakup due to extramarital affairs because a platonic life partnership takes that completely out of the equation. Plus, sometimes it’s easier to plan financially and work out family matters with someone you respect and love but aren’t romantically involved with.
Your world is still open to all sorts of possibilities.
If you’ve continually felt held down from other interesting life possibilities while in a long-term relationship, a platonic life partnership offers up an alternative kind of relationship wherein you are still open to a world of possibilities.
You have your partner at home who is there to lend you emotional support as well as take on the burden of financial matters and family stuff. And you also have the space and opportunity to go on dates and experience love and sexual connections in other areas of your life. Really, it could be the best of both worlds for parties who agree upon all the terms of a platonic life partnership and keep communication open.
Even though you have a partner, your life is still very much your own.
There may be periods of time throughout a marriage or long-term romantic relationship when you start to feel as though you’re living your life for your partner and your own individual wants and needs are falling to the wayside. Some romantic partnerships, especially over long periods of time, can become so intertwined and built on an abundance of high expectations that you can really lose yourself.
But since a platonic life partnership takes the romantic and sexual elements out of the relationship, there should be plenty of room to explore your own hobbies, interests, friendships, or even creative or educational pursuits. You’re able to have this supportive partner by your side in a lot of ways, but there’s still this area open in your life that’s completely left to your own discretion on how to fill it.
