Romantic relations tend to go through ups and downs, which are inevitable. Like any other relationship, a healthy relationship needs time, commitment, and willingness of both the partners to work and pass through the harsh challenges. No matter whether you are just starting or have been hitched for years, there are always things that can make and break your relationship.
If you have experienced some failed relationships in the past, you might be thinking that your current relationship is also destined to be a failure. But that is not the case. For it to work, you need to find the right person, and once you do, there are tons of ways in which you can build a strong and healthy relationship.
What Makes a Healthy Relationship?
There is no simple definition of what makes a relationship healthy. Every relationship is unique and different, which is why different things work for different couples. There is no hard and fast rule to make a relationship perfect. Something might be perfect for you and imperfect for someone else. So you need to find your definition of a healthy relationship by communicating with your partner. Here are some of the healthy habits of couples that help define a healthy relationship.
1- Emotional Connection
In a relationship, the emotional connection between the couple is very important. You must be able to express your emotions without any fear of judgment from your partner. Most coupes settle for physical connection and day to day talks, but as a couple, you need to connect with your partner on a deeper level. Once you do, you will feel as if the other person understands you completely and accepts all the good and bad.
2- Respectful Disagreement
Disagreement is a part of every relationship. It is impossible to maintain a relationship with no arguments between the couples. But the key element to remember here is that the arguments should be respectful. In a healthy relationship, both the partners listen to each other and agree respectfully to each other’s opinions. There is no point in winning when your relationship is losing.
3- Maintain your Own Identity
One of the biggest mistakes that couples tend to make is that they revolve around their partner day and night. Over time, the relationship starts to define you and lose yourself in it. A healthy relationship allows you to keep a balance between your identity and your relationship. So you can enjoy both your personal space and your relationship.
How to Build a Healthy Relationship
Building a healthy relationship takes work. Sometimes it becomes hard to figure out what your next move should be. So here are some of the best tips from couples in strong and healthy relationships that will undoubtedly help you build your healthy relationship.
1. Spend Quality Time Together
Staying connected digitally is great. We do believe that the rise of social media has made it easy for couples to work out the long-distance thing. If you live together or in the same area, you should always make time to spend with your partner face to face to show them how much to love and appreciate them.
Over the years, many couples stop finding time for them. The demands of work, friends, and family feel like obligations and often end up becoming hurdles. To overcome the physical distance, one usually ends up texting the other person daily, and the human connection of touch is lost.
So, no matter how busy your life gets, you should always be able to make time for your significant other. You can go for lunch or dinner, indulge in a sport or fun hobbies for couples, look for things to do as a couple, or just take a walk down the park every evening to share your day and feel closer to your partner.
2. Always Communicate with your Partner:
Communication is the key to developing a healthy relationship. When you stop communicating with your partner about your ups and downs in life or open up emotionally, you will automatically feel distanced no matter how close you are in person.
So it is best to always stay connected with your partner through communication. Don’t wait for them to figure out what is wrong, tell them right away how you are feeling and what you want at that time to help make you feel better.
Knowing someone for years doesn’t make one a mind reader. You can pick up nonverbal cues or specific behaviors to figure out if there is something wrong with your partner, but you can’t guess what. So provide them with a safe space, so they don’t feel embarrassed or judged when telling you about their problems.
3. Keep Physical Intimacy Alive
As much as the emotional connection is important, physical intimacy holds a special place in a healthy romantic relationship. The sense of touch is an important fundamental of human existence; without it, one might feel lost, unloved, and less affectionate.
When we talk about physical intimacy, sex is the first thing that comes to mind. Although it is important at the same time, there are other means of showing physical intimacy, such as holding hands, kissing, hugging, cuddling, etc.
4. Learn to Compromise
If you are expecting your partner to give his 100% in a relationship, he or she is probably expecting the same from you. But the thing is that no one can give their 100% in a relationship, which is why both the partners need to learn to compromise. As the saying goes, you can only get what you give. So maintain a balance between how much you are putting into your relationship and how much you can get out of it.
It is good to figure out what matters the most to your partner in the early stage of your relationship. The important things, no matter how little, are what you need to compromise on. Also, there is no winning between partners. Either you both lose, or you both win, so winning an argument shouldn’t be your goal.
Next in line are the conflicts. It is impossible to avoid conflicts in a relationship, which is why you should start working on your temper and listening skills. Ensure that you both feel heard during an argument and be respectful so that the other person doesn’t feel ignored or left out. You can always come up with a healthy way to solve conflicts.
5. Don’t Force a Solution
A relationship is like sharing a life with your partner, which is why ups and downs are going to be a part of your relationship no matter what you do. Resolving conflicts isn’t as easy as it seems. Sometimes, one just pushes down a solution hoping that the problem will go away.
But forcing a solution to a problem is even worse than arguing. You need to find the right solution, not just any solution to your problem. Firstly, don’t stress out. Secondly, share the solution with your partner and see if you both agree on it.
Thirdly, if you need external help, go for it together. Lastly, if you can’t find a solution, then it is best to stay open to change and add a bit of flexibility to your relationship to work things out.
Final Words
Building a healthy relationship takes time and effort. You can expect a cupid’s arrow to make things perfect between the two of you. To keep the fires of romance going and be one of those couples in strong and healthy relationships, you need to stay connected, communicate with your partner, and indulge in affectionate behavior to enjoy the everlasting feeling of love and fulfillment.
Try to give your relationship time if it is going through some ups and downs, emotionally connect with your partner, opt for a compromise that works for both, and hope for the best. If it is meant to be, you will always find a solution to keep the two of you together for years.
