Get the Facts on Healthy Relationships

Any relationship that you have early in life will affect your relationships later in life. The lessons you learn about respect, healthy versus unhealthy relationships, and what’s right or wrong will carry over into future relationships. So it’s important to recognize what a healthy relationship is.

Respect means that each person values who the other is and understands the other person’s boundaries.

You won’t always get your way. Acknowledge different points of view and be willing to give and take. It’s a bad sign when the relationship becomes a power struggle.

If you have ever caught your friend or dating partner in a huge lie, you know that it takes time to rebuild your trust in him or her. Always be honest. It builds trust and strengthens the relationship.

You shouldn’t compromise who you are, and your identity should not be based on your boyfriend or girlfriend. Continue seeing your friends or doing the things that you love. Be supportive if your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to pursue new hobbies or make new friends.

Without trust, there’s no way to have a healthy relationship. Choose to trust in each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt.

Speak honestly and openly to avoid miscommunication. If you need to sort out your feelings first, your boyfriend or girlfriend should respect your wishes and wait until you’re ready to talk.

We all get angry, but how we express it can affect our relationships with others. Anger can be handled in healthy ways such as taking a deep breath, counting to 10, or talking it out.

You can learn to solve problems and identify new solutions by breaking a problem into small parts or by talking through the situation.

Take a minute to understand what others might be feeling-put yourself in their shoes. It can improve your communication skills, too.

Having confidence in yourself can help your relationships with others. It shows that you are calm and comfortable enough to allow others to express their opinions without forcing your opinions on others to win an argument.

Everyone will argue at some point, but those who are fair, stick to the subject, and avoid insults are more likely to come up with a possible solution. Take a short break if the discussion gets too heated.

By modeling what respect means, you will inspire your boyfriend or girlfriend, your friends, and your family to model respect, too. Take every opportunity to give respect.

Creating Positive Relationships

While the early months of a relationship can feel effortless and exciting, successful long-term relationships involve ongoing effort and compromise by both partners. Building healthy patterns early in your relationship can establish a solid foundation for the long run. When you are just starting a relationship, it is important to use the BABE acronym:

Build a foundation of appreciation and respect. Focus on all the considerate things your partner says and does. Happy couples make a point of noticing even small opportunities to say “thank you” to their partner, rather than focusing on mistakes their partner has made.

Establish a pattern of apologizing if you make a mistake or hurt your partner’s feelings. Saying “I’m sorry” may be hard in the moment, but it goes a long way towards healing a rift in a relationship. Your partner will trust you more if he or she knows that you will take responsibility for your words and actions.

Explore each other’s interests so that you have a long list of things to enjoy together. Try new things together to expand mutual interests.

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

– Henry Ford