Now there are ways to mitigate the potential cluster of emotions that can come up around the half-year mark in your relationship — but it starts all the way back when you and your partner coupled up. "Communication is key," Russo says. "If you start communicating about how you feel from the beginning [of your relationship], you'll likely already be talking about things that could become issues six months in. If you never talk about your feelings, and then you and your partner are already very involved, it's more difficult to discuss big topics if they're coming out of nowhere."