Developing and maintaining healthy relationships can be incredibly challenging. Learning how to accomplish this takes time, commitment, and skills that at times seem hard to put into practice. Whether it be an intimate relationship, or a healthy friendship, these 3 areas are necessary elements for success. For this article’s purpose we will focus on intimate relationships.
TIME:
- Spending time together learning about the other person is essential for any relationship to grow.
- Taking time to show the other person that they are special to you will benefit the relationship in many ways. (i.e. send
flowers, write a note, tell the person that they are special).
Each relationship is different and there are many ways that taking time to contribute can benefit your relationships. Remember, it is the little things that make up a recipe for success.
- Time is a contribution to any relationship that is valuable in many ways. Relationships take time to develop in a healthy manner. Healthy relationships cannot be rushed, they need time to cultivate and to grow.
COMMITMENT:
Commitment is another essential ingredient in developing and maintaining a healthy relationship. A person should look for signs early on in a relationship that signal whether the other person is at a place of commitment or not. Being too anxious or overzealous to jump into any relationship is a good recipe for disaster. If a healthy, long lasting relationship is what you are desiring, remember to slow down, use your good sense, and give the relationship time to develop.
- Keep these things in mind: The desire to have sex is NOT a sign of commitment!
- Watch for the other person’s willingness to make the small sacrifices in the relationship. (Remember it’s give and take)
- Are they willing to:
o make the small sacrifices for you at times (i.e. change their schedule to help you out)
o help you get things ready for important events
o meet your family
o listen to you
o Participate in activities that you are interested in
These are only a few signs to look for if you are interested in developing a healthy relationship, but the key is to have eyes wide open, take your time, and use your head. If you do these things you can know that you are setting yourself up to have a healthy, long lasting relationship.
RELATIONSHIP SKILLS:
Developing and maintaining healthy relationships require many skills. We need these skills to help us have healthy, meaningful relationships. Below is a list of 5 relationship skills that are essential in every relationship.
- Communication – Remember, communicating is more than just talking. It entails actively listening to the other person as well as talking. It is a two-way street. Having healthy communication skills will aide you in all relationships.
- Respect – Having mutual admiration for one another is important in every relationship.
- Boundaries – Setting firm personal boundaries is essential in developing and maintaining healthy relationships. Defining those boundaries within your relationships determines what behaviors you will and will not accept from others. These boundaries include: Physical boundaries as well as emotional boundaries.
- Trust – Trust in a relationship is the faith you have that the other person is and always will be there for you. Trust in someone means you feel like you can rely on them to be loyal to you Trust in a person is when you know that you can confide in them and trust that it is safe with them.
- Support – Showing support for one another in a relationship is vital in a healthy relationship. Here are just a few ways to show support of others in an intimate relationship:
* Touch
* Being respectful of other feelings
* Being giving
* Compliment them in front of others
* Say “I Iove you”. Hearing it is important to them
* Always acknowledge their presence
* Disagree in a respectful, loving way
Developing and maintaining healthy relationships require time and energy, but the pay off for your efforts is well worth it.