What It Means When You Lose Interest As Soon As A New Relationship Starts

It's totally normal for sparks to fade after the initial kindling. According to sex therapist and registered psychotherapist Chelsea Page, DHC, LPC, M.S., losing interest in one's partner after a relationship starts to deepen is extremely common. "When the novel energy of an early connection goes down, everything just levels out. Desire levels out, the newness fades, and all the blocks that can get in the way of your sexual energy and interest will start to emerge again," says Page. 

Page also says couples tend to cite a decrease in the frequency of their sexual experiences together as a sign that something's wrong, although that's a flawed metric. "It's never really about the quantity of intimate acts between a couple. It's about the quality."

Signs that you're encountering some deep-seated intimacy blocks are subtle, but they tend to involve two major feelings: anxiety or apathy.

"If your thoughts around intimacy or the relationship feel anxious or pervasive, and you're preoccupied with stress from your life or the outside world, that could be an indicator." People with anxious attachment styles tend to exhibit an intense need for validation from their partner; when those needs aren't met, the individual might push away the love interest instead. On the other hand, people with avoidant attachments are just downright uncomfortable with intimacy in general.  

It's possible that you're just not ready to settle into a relationship, and that's perfectly fine! But you do owe it to yourself to determine why you haven't found the right match, or if you have underlying questions you need to answer for yourself first. 

You should also remember that "settling down" into a new relationship isn't the same thing as losing interest. You might think that once the spark is gone, that means the relationship is over. That's just simply not true: In fact, it's a sign that you are moving into a more steady, comfortable phase of the relationship—that's a healthy next step. And there's no telling when you might move into this phase. "There are a lot of dubious sources out there that try to give people a timeline for this kind of thing," Page says, "but just as everyone is unique, every partnership is unique too. It depends on what's going on in your lives, and it varies."

Now as for addressing intimacy issues, Page notes you can and should educate yourself responsibly: "Books, articles, and blog posts on intimacy are essentially doorways into this area of self-exploration," she says. "Sometimes, just opening the door is enough for people, but a relationship with a professional can help you get through that doorway."