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Healthy relationships bring out the best in you and make you feel good about yourself.
A healthy relationship does not mean a perfect Instagram-worthy relationship, and nor does it mean you’re happy all of the time, but the signs below are behaviors you should strive for in all of your relationships (not just romantic).
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What Is a Healthy Relationship?
What exactly makes a relationship healthy?
A great relationship is a safe place for both people to love, honor, and respect one another. A healthy relationship is one where both partners have a strong sense of trust, respect, and communication.
All parties involved feel comfortable expressing themselves and actively listen to one another. They support each other and have an equal say in decision-making.
Partners in a healthy relationship are able to resolve conflicts in a respectful and constructive manner. They also maintain their own individuality while being a part of the relationship.
Additionally, they have a positive and fulfilling emotional and physical intimacy.
Being in a high-quality romantic relationship is associated with greater well-being. Being single is far better for your well-being than being in a toxic relationship.
Many people in toxic relationships don’t know that they are in one especially if they grew up in a household where it was “normal”.
Here are ten signs you are in a healthy relationship:
1. Good Communication Skills
Good communication in a relationship is important for building and maintaining a healthy connection with each other.
It involves being able to express yourself openly and honestly, without fear, and actively listening to your partner’s thoughts and feelings.
This includes both verbal communication, as well as nonverbal cues such as body language and tone of voice. Good communication also means being able to address and resolve conflicts in a respectful and constructive manner.
This also means being able to make sure that you and your partner understand each other’s needs and boundaries, and that you are able to express them clearly.
Good communication goes both ways, where both partners are actively involved in the process and contribute to the relationship’s well-being.
2. You Trust In One Another
Trust is a fundamental aspect of any healthy relationship.
It involves having faith in your partner’s honesty, integrity, and reliability. Trust allows partners to feel secure and confident in the relationship, and to be open and vulnerable with one another.
Trusting each other also means being able to rely on your partner to keep their promises and commitments, and to be there for you in times of need. Trust is built over time through shared experiences and consistent actions, and it can be strengthened or weakened as the relationship progresses.
In a relationship with trust, you can be away from your partner without worrying about what they are getting up to. You trust that they respect you even when you aren’t present and that they respect the integrity of your relationship.
Lack of trust can be detrimental to a relationship and lead to feelings of insecurity, jealousy, and resentment. Trust issues in a relationship usually stem from negative experiences in the relationship or past trauma.
Deep-rooted trust issues should be addressed and if you feel like they cannot be resolved, it’s best to end the relationship.
3. Being Comfortable Around Your Partner
Being comfortable around your partner is vital to maintaining a healthy relationship.
It means feeling relaxed and at ease in your partner’s presence, and being able to be yourself without fear of judgment or rejection.
However, being comfortable i your relationship goes further than that. When you’re in a healthy relationship, you start to grow into your own skin too. You start to feel comfortable in your own skin and grow more confident.
Your partner feeds into your securities and breaks down any insecurities you may have.
When you’re comfortable around your partner and in your own skin, you’re able to be open and vulnerable and it makes it easier to share your thoughts, feelings, and needs without hesitation.
Being comfortable around your partner also means feeling safe and secure in the relationship. You trust your partner to respect your boundaries and to support you emotionally. You don’t feel the need to constantly put on a facade or hide your true self.
Developing this level of comfort takes time and effort. It requires open and honest communication, consistent actions, and mutual respect and understanding. When both partners are comfortable around each other, it leads to a deeper level of intimacy and connection.
It’s also important to note that you wouldn’t rely solely on your partner for happiness and security, they should be an addition to it, not the sole reason.
4. You Maintain Individuality
Maintaining individuality in a healthy relationship is important because it allows you to retain your unique identity, interests, and hobbies.
It means you’re comfortable being yourself around each other and do not feel the need to conform to a certain mold to please your partner.
A healthy relationship shouldn’t make you lose yourself, you should feel free to be openly you and have faith that your partner will accept you for who you are.
In a relationship where you both maintain your individuality, you’re both able to pursue your own goals and interests outside of the relationship and to grow and develop as individuals. This leads to a more well-rounded and fulfilled relationship.
5. You Resolve Conflicts In a Healthy Manner
Resolving conflicts in a healthy relationship is an important aspect of maintaining a strong and stable connection with your partner. It involves being able to address and work through disagreements in a respectful and constructive manner.
Here are some ways to resolve conflicts in a healthy relationship:
It’s important to remember that conflicts are a normal part of any relationship and that it’s how you handle them that makes the difference. Resolving conflicts in a healthy manner can actually strengthen the relationship, rather than tear it apart.
Every couple fights. But contrary to what you might think, you don’t need to fix every issue. In fact, it’s okay to have a handful of topics that you two will never agree on.
It’s important to respect that you’ll disagree and learn to work together and accept each other.
6. You Know and Understand Each Other’s Love Languages
Knowing your partner’s love language is an important aspect of understanding and connecting with them on an emotional level.
The concept of “love languages” was first introduced by Dr. Gary Chapman in his book “The Five Love Languages,” which describes five ways that people express and experience love:
1. Words of affirmation: People who have this love language feel loved when they hear words of praise, encouragement, and affection from their partner.
2. Quality time: People who have this love language feel loved when they have undivided attention and quality time with their partner.
3. Receiving gifts: People who have this love language feel loved when they receive gifts and tokens of affection from their partner.
4. Acts of service: People who have this love language feel loved when their partner helps with practical tasks and acts of service.
5. Physical touch: People who have this love language feel loved when they receive physical touch and affection from their partner.
Knowing your partner’s love language can help you understand how they feel loved and appreciated and allow you to tailor your actions and communication to show them, love, in the way they understand and appreciate.
It’s also good to remember that people can have multiple love languages and that love languages can change over time and in different stages of life. So, it’s important to communicate with each other to understand how your partner feels loved.
7. You Support and Encourage Each Other
Support in a healthy relationship means that both partners are there for each other emotionally and are willing to help each other through difficult times. It includes providing encouragement, understanding, and a listening ear when needed.
A supportive partner is someone who:
-Is genuinely interested in your life and your experiences
-Encourages you to pursue your goals and dreams
-Is available to talk and listen when you need to vent or share your thoughts
-Offers help and advice when you need it
-Is willing to help you through tough times, whether they be personal or professional
Having a supportive partner can help you be more confident, secure, and fulfilled in the relationship.
It can also help you to cope better with stress and challenges, both within the relationship and in other areas of your life.
It’s important to remember that support is a two-way street and that you should be willing to provide support as much as you receive it. It’s also important to communicate and understand each other’s needs and to make sure that you are able to give and receive support in ways that feel meaningful to both partners.
8. You Set Healthy Boundaries and Respect Them
Setting healthy boundaries in a relationship is an important aspect of maintaining a sense of individuality and respect for each other. It involves being clear about what you are and are not willing to tolerate in the relationship, and communicating this to your partner.
As well as respect the boundaries that your partner has set for you.
Setting healthy boundaries allows you to maintain your self-respect and individuality while being in a relationship. It helps to establish mutual respect and creates a healthy and fulfilling relationship.
An unsupportive partner in a toxic relationship doesn’t honor your boundaries, they may even intentionally cross these boundaries.
If you can talk it out with your partner and they acknowledge and understand your boundaries, that’s a good sign. However, if your partner repeatedly ignores what you value, including your boundaries, that’s concerning.
9. You Feel Happy and Loved
Feeling happy in a healthy relationship is a result of a combination of factors such as trust, respect, communication, support, and intimacy. When these elements are present, partners are able to have a positive and fulfilling relationship.
In a happy relationship, partners are able to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with each other, and feel understood and accepted.
They trust and rely on each other, and feel secure in the relationship. They also feel respected and valued by their partner.
Having a supportive partner who encourages and helps you to pursue your goals and dreams can also contribute to feeling happy in a relationship. Partners who are comfortable around each other and maintain their individuality while being in a relationship also tend to feel happier.
Physical intimacy and emotional connection also play an important role in feeling happy in a relationship. Partners who have a fulfilling physical and emotional intimacy tend to feel happier and more satisfied.
It’s important to remember that happiness in a relationship is not always constant, it ebbs and flows, and it’s normal to have ups and downs.
It’s important to communicate and work through challenges and conflicts together to maintain a happy and healthy relationship.
10. You Can Be Openly Intimate With Your Partner
Intimacy in a healthy relationship refers to both emotional and physical closeness between you and your partner. It is the feeling of being connected and understood by your partner on a deep level.
Emotional intimacy involves sharing personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences with your partner, feeling secure in the relationship, and feeling understood and accepted by your partner.
Physical intimacy involves expressing affection through touch and sexual activity. It can also include non-sexual forms of physical affection such as holding hands, cuddling, or kissing.
Both emotional and physical intimacy play an important role in a healthy relationship. They help to build a deep connection between partners and to create a sense of trust and security in the relationship.
To maintain intimacy in a relationship, both partners need to be willing to be vulnerable and open to sharing their thoughts and feelings with each other. They also need to be willing to listen actively and to be responsive to each other’s needs. It’s also important to have regular check-ins with your partner to make sure you are both on the same page and that intimacy is maintained over time.
It’s also important to remember that intimacy is not only about sexual activity, it’s also about the emotional connection, trust, and understanding between partners. It takes time, effort, and consistent actions to maintain intimacy in a healthy relationship.
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