5 Significant Tips For Building Healthy Relationships
In today’s difficult times it’s more important than ever to work on our relationships with others. Whether it’s a romantic relationship or a friendship, whatever kind of ship you’re sailing, the changing world we find ourselves in has lead many of us into stormy waters.
Building and maintaining healthy relationships is difficult at the best of times, and it’s something many of us aren’t intuitively great at. No one teaches us how to be a fantastic friend, or how to be half of a perfect couple.
When I was in school, I certainly don’t remember a course on how to build relationships, or what to do to keep them afloat after making the kind of mistakes that might blow holes in them. Nobody wants their relationships to sink, but many people just have no idea how to fix them.
Here are 5 significant tips to help you build and maintain healthy relationships:
1. Have realistic expectations
If you’re reading this, you probably already know that nobody is perfect, yet for some reason we often still expect others to be. This isn’t fair to anyone and is guaranteed to cause problems in any relationship. Healthy relationships mean taking people as they are, flaws and all.
2. Communication
I truly can’t stress this enough. Without proper communication going both ways in a relationship, you may as well give up now. This means more than just talking, it also means listening, and more than that, understanding.
Don’t expect to be perfect at it right away, communication can be hard. If both parties in a relationship are willing to try though, no tool is more effective at building and maintaining a healthy connection than communication.
3. Don’t fight, relate.
They say there are 2 sides to every story, and this is true. While you may believe you’re right and they’re wrong, it’s often obvious not everyone believes the same. Right and wrong usually aren’t such clear-cut issues, and it often comes down to feelings.
Sometimes there isn’t a right or wrong at all, just 2 different experiences. It can be difficult to see things from another’s point of view, but if you can accomplish it you’ll open up a whole new world of understanding.
4. It’s all about balance
Everyone has different needs, in different areas. It would be a pretty boring world if we were all the same. You may be indifferent to some things that others require constantly, or vice-versa.
This doesn’t mean your relationship is incompatible, far from it. By communicating about your needs, and what you’re willing or able to contribute, you can try to find a middle ground to satisfy everyone.
5. Be yourself!
I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. You can tell when someone is trying too hard, or trying to be someone they’re not. Others can too, and it’s not a great look. Being yourself and letting others truly get to know who you are is the only way to have an honest and long-lasting relationship.
Relationships are hard, and no one is born knowing all the answers. We’re not taught them in school, and often don’t learn them growing up. Thankfully we live in an interconnected world where we can learn anything we want to if we only look for it. Relationship therapy is only a few clicks away for those who truly want it.
Wherever your relationships take you, remember you’re in this together.
