With Valentine’s Day approaching in a couple of weeks, what better time than the present to look at our relationships. Let us check our relationships and how they might improve.
Healthy relationships should be based on the following:
- Respect
- Open Communication
- Boundaries
- Honesty
- Trust
- Compromise
Healthy relationships allow each person to have independence, make their own decisions without fear of retaliation or retribution, and not be jealous of the other person. There should be a balance of power – no one dominating the other. Individuals in healthy relationships love and support each other during good and bad times. It would be best if you encouraged more open communication, so there are fewer misunderstandings.
Other attributes include shared values of finance, child raising, and other important matters, such as religion and politics. Your relationship should be a priority for both parties.
Some of the benefits of a healthy relationship are:
- Confidence
- Happiness
- Improved mood, mental health, and well-being
No relationship is perfect. I can be the first to admit that. Relationships that hurt the most are when you are blind-sided by the other person. When you thought things were going well, only to find out it was not as it seemed to you. And I know many of us have had that pain at one point or another. Just because we love the other person does not mean we can communicate well or understand what the other person is thinking.
A healthy relationship takes time and commitment. It takes the willingness to try new things, step out of our comfort zone, and be open to doing something the other person thinks is fun or exciting. It could be taking a dance class to spend more time together. Compromise is essential when it comes to any relationship. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. What are they feeling? Why are they reacting that way?
Remember, communication with each other is more than just verbal. It includes your posture, the tone of your voice, and your facial expressions. Your words need to match your actions. The tone of my voice was a big thing to my father. Many times I was disciplined for the tone of my voice. He insisted that my tone was disrespectful and would not be tolerated. Often, my tone was nasty when apologizing to my sister. (Was I the only one that had that issue? LOL)
Some positive points for developing and continuing a healthy relationship are:
- Apologize (say you’re sorry) when the need arises;
- Show your appreciation and be affectionate;
- Establish a work-life balance;
- When having a conflict, find resolutions that work for both of you;
- Make special time for each other – a date night; and
- Make your relationship a priority.
Relationships are one of the essential things in our lives. There will always be a need to talk openly to resolve problems. We must never take our relationships for granted. I witnessed that between my parents, who divorced after forty years. It was devastating for all of us, especially when they were unwilling to compromise.
Bottom line: good relationships make us feel good.
If you are interested in more information on healthy relationships, check out one of the websites below:
- https://www.loveisrespect.org/everyone-deserves-a-healthy-relationship/
- https://www.verywellmind.com/all-about-healthy-relationship-4774802
- https://www.joinonelove.org/signs-healthy-relationship/
All my best,
Julie
Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti