Our bodies are wired to follow a sequence of events; we are creatures of habit. You will most likely not be able to wake up one morning and cut out the coffee habit that you’ve had for twenty years or go from being sedentary to running a marathon the next day.
A relationship timeline doesn’t need to pertain to marriage. But what if you expect a commitment from someone to be monogamous within a few months? What if you have been dating for five years and haven’t met your partner’s family?
Your partner can’t be everything at once; an intimate relationship is different from a friendship.
When a toxic/manipulative person identifies that you are done with their abuse, they will not be thrilled. They may pull out their final card trick, threatening self-harm if you leave them.
Recently I saw a single close friend who made an off-handed remark that she won’t ever date someone who has just gotten out of a serious relationship.
When asked why she answered, “They play the role of a boyfriend because it’s what they are used to, which makes it hurt more when they don’t commit to a relationship.”