Healthy relationships with your partner, family members or friends can enhance your life, but they don't just happen. Healthy relationships take time to build and need ongoing work. The more positive effort you put into a relationship, the healthier it should be.
Signs of a healthy relationship
People in healthy relationships love and support each other. They help each other practically as well as emotionally.
Healthy relationships are commonly based on:
respect
trust
open communication
equality
both shared and individual interests
understanding
honesty
care
Benefits of healthy relationships
People who have healthy relationships are more likely to feel happier and satisfied with their lives.
Healthy relationships can:
increase your sense of worth and belonging
give you confidence
support you to try out new things and learn more about yourself
Communication in a healthy relationship
People who are in a healthy relationship talk to each other regularly and listen to each other too. Misunderstandings can still happen, and that can lead to people being upset, hurt or confused.
It is best to be clear about what you want to say. Making a real effort to understand what the other person is saying also helps.
Just because you care about each other doesn’t mean you will be able to communicate well or know what the other is thinking.
To encourage more open communication in your relationship:
set aside time to speak to each other, without interruptions
put yourself in the other person’s shoes
don’t rely on the other person to guess what is going on, or how you are feeling
listen to each other, and make sure the other person knows you are listening to them
let the other person finish what they are saying
talk about things honestly and respectfully
try not to be too defensive
stay calm and try not to attack
Other ways to nurture your relationship
There are other things you can do to improve your relationship with your partner or family. You can:
say sorry when you are wrong
be affectionate and show appreciation
make the relationship a priority
develop shared interests
work on feeling good about yourself
try to find solutions that help both of you
make plans for the future
Having relationship issues?
It is normal to have ups and downs in a relationship. It is also normal to have different opinions. Relationships, and people, change over time.
Your relationship is not healthy if one person has more power than another, or if that person is abusive or violent.
If you have any questions or need extra support, we're here to help you anytime, in any language. Simply start a chat with us via the home screen of the Sonder app.
Article originally published by: Healthdirect
Image credit: Harli Marten on Unsplash
All content is created and published for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified professional.