From Toxic Situationships to Real Love – How to Date with Confidence in 2025

Situationships have become one of the hottest dating trends over the past couple of years, and what a sad revelation that is!

Although the concept of a situationship is nothing new – one person wants a relationship, and the other one is a commitment-avoiding manipulator, the new name to an old disease has given it a boost and almost romanticized the concept.

Thankfully, many people are now waking up and realizing how toxic and unnecessary situationships ultimately are. In 2025, we should all focus on ourselves, our comfort, and our well-being, and leave all the nasty habits in the past.

It’s time to embrace emotional wellness and redefine relationship goals for a better future. Today we’re going to explore the allure of situationships, discover how to take back control, and how to set boundaries in dating, together co-authored with Flure.

Let’s go!

The Era of Situationships – Why Are We Stuck in Limbo?

Situationships are ultimately symptomatic of what our society looks like and goes through.

Everything is complex and volatile, from global politics and economic situations to our life goals and romances. We’re constantly overstimulated by social media and the stress we’re living in, and it’s only natural for toxic and undefined relationships to make their way to the top of the romantic hierarchy.

These days, we’re connected to millions of people around the world, so it seems like there is always someone out there who is better for us. Pair it with endless scrolling and swiping on dating apps, and you get the perfect storm of people who aren’t ready to commit and rely on the casualization of dating to avoid making any decisions.

The fear of missing out (FOMO) in modern relationships is an epidemic that creates endless talking stages where people don’t really explore each other on a deeper level and fail to build a strong emotional bond. As a result, they’re further convinced that nobody they’ve met so far is the perfect match and they should continue swiping and going on dates, and the circle never ends.

This dynamic where you’re not really with someone but also not alone creates an odd limbo. If you’re in a situationship, then you kind of don’t owe anything to anyone, so you can fool around, not be reliable, change plans at the last minute, and go into ghosting mode. At the same time, if you get bored or feel lonely, there are people you can text and hook up with, and even pretend to be a couple for a good few hours until you grow tired of them again.

This limbo seems like not a big deal from the outside, but once you dive into that state, it becomes very hard to get out. It’s almost the same as being sucked in by the quicksand. You’re confused, you feel stuck, and anything you do actually sinks you deeper.

Situationships vs. Real Relationships

The line between a real relationship and a situationship can get blurry, despite those two being very different concepts.

The problem with situationships is that they mimic real relationships by spending time together, going on dates, having sex, enjoying fun moments, and even fighting.

Yet, with a real relationship, both people are actually looking for a genuine connection with their partner. They see each other together for long periods of time, and they want to get to know their lover better, to support them, and to be a part of their life.

In situationships, any talk about the future and your relationship status is either avoided at all costs or gets you in a fight. Everything is ambiguous, there are constant mixed signals and highs and lows. There is usually one person who wants the relationship to move forward, so they are emotionally invested and struggle with this weird dynamic.

The other person, in turn, enjoys the ambiguity as it gives them the freedom to do whatever. They avoid commitment like fire, and they’re emotionally unavailable most of the time, except for the rare moments when they need support and want to be cared for, so they let the other person closer to them and use them like a parasite.

The intention is very different in a real relationship and a situationship. If you’re confused by what situation you’re in, look into the intentions that you two have for the romance.

The Power of Confidence: Taking Back Control in Dating

Dating with confidence is the ultimate goal, but doing it after being through a number of situationships can be tricky.

The nasty part of situationships is that they not only lead nowhere and waste your time but also mess up your mental health and make you feel less worthy. It’s a very sad outcome, but you can always turn things around and go back to being the bad B that you are.

Here are a couple of tips to make it happen quicker and with fewer hurdles.

#1 Redefine What You Actually Want

Think of how successful people, companies, and whole governments do their annual planning. They always start with their end goal, and then reverse engineer how they can get to that goal.

You need to do the same for your romantic life. Think about things that your future partner has to have (empathy and kindness), things that would be nice add-ons (drive and strong motivation), and then absolute show-stoppers (such as them living across the country) and red flags (for example, their excessive drinking or aggressive nature).

Never just settle for what’s given. As we’ve established earlier in this article, opportunities are endless. It may not seem like that if you’re only meeting the wrong people lately, but there are plenty of good and fitting partners waiting for you to find them.

Also, be honest with yourself about the type of relationship you’re after. It’s okay to admit that you’re only looking for some fun or the opposite. Your dating intentions will define who you’ll be the right fit for you.

#2 Set Boundaries That Actually Stick

Lately, everyone’s been talking and yapping about boundaries, their importance, and how everyone has them. In reality, most of the people still struggle with setting and maintaining boundaries. And to be fair, it is really hard, especially when you’re dealing with vile people.

Boundaries outline what’s acceptable and what’s not for you. It is a great instrument to keep your emotional state in check and also get the treatment you deserve.

However, if you really want the boundaries to work for you, make sure you’re not only creating them for yourself but also clearly communicating them to others. Oh, and the most important part, there should be repercussions for overstepping them. For example, if you tell your current boy that you won’t tolerate micro-cheating, and they still do it, you need to be tough and act on your promise. If you said that it would be over between you two if he micro-cheats, then that’s what should happen.

This is a crucial moment for boundaries. A lot of people will push your limits, subconsciously or not, so they need to know that there are consequences for their actions. If not, why should they bother?

Naturally, you’d assume that people who care about you will not challenge your boundaries just because. Yet, this happens all the time. So either be strict with them and “punish” them for wrong behaviors, or drop them altogether. You need a caring and empathetic person by your side, and boundary breakers usually aren’t the types.

#3 Learn to Walk Away from Mixed Signals and Emotional Unavailability

More people should adopt the “not my circus, not my monkeys” attitude when they’re dealing with messed-up behavior. And that’s what it is! Mixed signals, playing hot and cold, being emotionally unavailable, and other mind games have no excuse in 2025.

We’ve all lived with social media and the internet for long enough to be exposed to articles, TikToks, and other materials about the toxicity of such behaviors. If someone is being a bad person and a bad lover, they’re most likely doing it intentionally at that point. And even if they can’t help it – it’s not your job to fix them. Look for someone who isn’t broken.

Walk away from dates, end conversations, and block people who are disrespectful towards you and who waste your time with their nasty tactics.

Flure’s Approach to Meaningful Dating

Dating app burnout is real, and often the toxic dating culture is to blame.

Unlike many, the Flure dating app prioritizes deep connections and bonds over endless swiping and dating gamification.

Everything in the app is designed to help people find their perfect match faster and live happily ever after. The thoughtful and advanced algorithms analyze lots of parameters that go beyond surface-level compatibility. In-app games are created to help users get to know each other quickly, rather than to keep them engaged with the app for longer.

Safety and respect play a big role too, that’s why Flure keeps everyone’s data safe, encourages users to be careful with personal data in online chats and not share too much too soon, and anyone who’s misbehaving and breaking the rules of the platform will be removed.

With the key focus on meaningful dating, Flure provides the widest range of resources on dating and relationships in the company’s blog with weekly articles on finding love with self-worth, different types of romances that exist, and helpful tips and tricks for building emotional connection.

Whatever your dating goals are, you can be intentional about them, and Flure supports mindfulness with anything you do in terms of love, that’s why so many women choose Flure as their go-to dating app.

The Glow-Up Mindset: Dating with Self-Worth & Purpose

Out of all the modern dating trends 2025, we want you to focus on dating with self-worth and purpose.

When you prioritize yourself as much as you do finding a lover, you naturally start going through a glow-up. Being with the right person is inseparable from being the best version of yourself.

 

When you’re looking for partners, make sure you don’t rely on external validation to feel good about yourself, but rather focus on internal validation and do things to be proud of yourself every day. For instance, take care of your health, cut back on unnecessary spending, and build an impressive emergency fund. Work on your relationship with friends. Cross some things off your bucket list. Learn that language you always wanted to learn, have a talk with your partners, start changing careers, or move up.

The healthier and happier you are on your own, the more chances you’ll have to attract a great person and build a healthy relationship with them. You shouldn’t rely on anyone to make you happy but rather have that happiness from the inside.

When you do find love, continue to have your own thing going on, and don’t let the relationship, however wonderful, put everything else in your life on the back burner. After all, one of the keys to a loving relationship is to balance romance and self-growth and continue to impress and support each other.

You got this!