Every relationship is unique, and so are its hurdles. It becomes overwhelmingly frustrating when conflicts and challenges become a constant thing. Just know that no matter where you are in your relationship, there are ways to build a healthy and strong relationship.
What Is a Healthy Relationship?
A healthy relationship is one in which both partners feel loved, valued, trusted, and respected. It also leads to personal growth and can help their partners grow as well. Therefore, a healthy and strong relationship takes more than just being partners but ceaseless emotional and physical nurturing. Though relationships can look complicated and scary, especially for new couples, following certain traits can help couples maintain a healthy and strong relationship in the long term.
Communication
Communication is not just talking. Real communication is listening, appreciating, respecting, and letting your partner know that you are always there for them. Relationships need a lot of attention, love, and care to maintain connection and keep up with the growing needs and changes the partners go through individually and as couples. Healthy relationships require partners to spend quality time with each other and be involved, supportive, accommodated and open to addressing their differences and challenges.
Togetherness
The sense of togetherness is a powerful trait that improves your relationship with your partner. Togetherness is not about peaceful coexistence but being able to connect and relate with each other emotionally, no matter what the situation is. It affords couples the benefit of the doubt, which is critical for developing a strong and healthy relationship and helps them take healthy steps to foster growth together. The sense of being together on the same team helps couples improve their emotional bond and makes them feel emotionally fulfilled.
Intimacy
Intimacy is not about the physical connection and sex but the emotional closeness between couples. It’s about putting yourself in the relationship and sharing your emotions, which, over time, evolves into the much-needed ‘connection’ essential for healthy relationships. Trust and emotional connection, meaning feeling emotionally safe, is the key to achieving intimacy and enduring relationships. And a lot of research suggests that couples must indulge in more positive interactions than negative ones to develop true intimacy. It’s because when one partner criticises or shows contempt, the other enters self-defence mode, ultimately causing anger and resentment. That’s why couples must develop healthy conversations.
