Building a Healthy Relationship

All romantic relationships go through ups and downs and with your partner, they all require effort, dedication, and a willingness to adapt and adjust. But there are steps that you can take to create a healthier relationship, whether your relationship is just starting out or you have been together for years. You will find ways to remain linked, find satisfaction, and enjoy lasting happiness, even if you have endured a lot of broken relationships in the past or have struggled before to rekindle the flames of passion in your current relationship.

What makes a healthy relationship?

Every relationship is special, and for many different reasons, people come together. Having a shared vision about precisely what you want the relationship to be and where you want it to go is part of what determines a successful relationship. And that is something you can only discover by talking to your partner sincerely and honestly.

There are also some aspects that most stable partnerships have in common, however. Knowing these universal values will help keep your partnership meaningful, satisfying and enjoyable, regardless of the objectives you are working towards or the difficulties you face together.

You maintain a positive link with each other emotionally. You each make the other feel cherished and satisfied emotionally. There's a distinction between feeling loved and being loved. It makes you feel welcomed and appreciated by your partner when you feel loved, like someone really gets you. In peaceful coexistence, some relationships get stuck, but without the partners ever emotionally relating to each other. While on the surface, the union may appear secure, a lack of continuous interaction and emotional attachment only tends to bring distance between two individuals.

You're not scared of (respectful) opposition. Some couples calmly talk it out, while others can raise their voices and disagree passionately. In a good relationship, the secret, however, is not to be afraid of confrontation. Without fear of retribution, you need to feel safe to say things that concern you, and be able to settle disputes without embarrassment, degradation, or insisting on being right.

You keep outside relationships and desires alive. No one person can fulfill all your needs, despite the claims of romantic fiction or movies. Actually, asking too much from your partner can put a partnership under unhealthy strain. It is necessary to retain your own identity outside of the relationship, preserve relationships with family and friends, and maintain your hobbies and interests in order to stimulate and enrich your romantic relationship.

You're freely and honestly talking. A vital aspect of every partnership is effective communication. It will increase trust and reinforce the bond between you if both parties know what they want from the relationship and feel comfortable sharing their needs, concerns, and desires.

Falling in love vs. staying in love

For most individuals, falling in love usually just seems to happen. It's staying in love-or maintaining the experience of "falling in love"-that needs dedication and effort. However, with its benefits, it's well worth the effort. A safe, stable romantic relationship, through good times and poor, will serve as an enduring source of encouragement and satisfaction in your life, improving all aspects of your well-being. You can create a lasting relationship that lasts, even for a lifetime, by taking measures now to maintain or rekindle your falling in love experience.

Many couples only reflect on their partnership when there are real, imminent issues to resolve. They also turn their focus back to their jobs, children, or other interests once the issues have been solved. Romantic relationships, however, require constant commitment and devotion for love to thrive. It will take your commitment and effort, as long as the wellbeing of a romantic relationship remains important to you. And it can also help to avoid it from developing into a much bigger one down the road by finding and addressing a minor issue in your relationship now.