What signs mean the situationship is actually a healthy friendship?

If you want to declutter your life, start by examining your relationships, especially your situationship. Be honest with yourself about what this relationship brings to your table. If you realize your situationship is actually a healthy friendship, you’re likely halfway to a more peaceful, clear life already.

The ambiguity of a situationship can feel overwhelming. You might constantly wonder where you stand, what the rules are, and how to behave around the other person. But sometimes, a situationship is simply a friendship dressed in contemporary dating clothes. Recognizing when this is the case—and when it genuinely supports your well-being—is crucial for decluttering confusion from your heart and mind.

Start by checking in with your emotions. In healthy friendships, you feel at ease. You can freely express yourself, share your boundaries, and expect respect from the other person. There’s no pressure to define or escalate feelings, nor is there any anxiety about “what’s next.” If your situationship feels calm, nonjudgmental, and supportive, that’s a sign you’re leaning more into healthy friendship territory than anything else.

Look at your communication patterns. Do you talk openly, laugh together, support one another, and share mutual interests without attaching romantic expectations? Healthy friendships are built on mutual appreciation and honesty. There’s no hidden agenda or hope lurking behind every text. If you feel no guilt, no secrecy, and you’re not obsessively analyzing every interaction, this situationship might actually be giving you the foundation for a lasting friendship.

Examine your own desires and expectations, too. Friendships flourish when neither person is pushing for something the other can’t give. If you both seem content with where things are, neither hoping nor pressuring for intimacy or a “label,” then you’re probably experiencing a genuinely healthy connection. If you can celebrate their milestones and share in your own without envy, possessiveness, or heartbreak, it speaks to the strength of your bond as friends rather than anything romantic.

Finally, assess how your situationship fits into your overall routine and emotional landscape. Does this relationship bring more lightness or more stress? Do you feel energized or drained after meeting or talking? If it’s one of the friendships that uplift you, that allow you to be your unfiltered self, it’s a healthy space. You’ll notice your life feels less cluttered with anxiety and overthinking, and more open to other opportunities, relationships, and personal growth.

Decluttering your life begins with clarity about your relationships. Recognizing that a situationship can be a healthy friendship gives you permission to let go of needless worry and focus on what actually nourishes you. If you want ongoing support and personal insight as you navigate situationships and all the emotional clutter they can bring, tools like notBf exist to provide exactly that kind of personalized, nonjudgmental support. Sometimes, taking the step to gain clarity is the best way to bring order and lightness into your daily life.