It seems like these days I always hear stories that leave me in disbelief in regards to "relationships" and people dating. I put relationships in quotation marks because I don't believe that our generation fully understands what it means to be in a relationship with someone. Only a handful of people are lucky enough to know how to be in a relationship, and if you know them you should follow them closely by example. It seems as though people are willing to date anyone that gives them attention, or anyone that talks to them for a longer span of time than most people do. Why did we lose our value in relationships?

A healthy relationship is making an effort to going out and doing things.

Now don't get me wrong, my favorite thing to do is stay inside and watch movies, but one thing I never realized was so important is going out on dates. I know, the dreaded "D" word. Tip: don't call it a date. It's a simple as that. My boyfriend really had to nail this one into me, because the word "date" makes me want to throw up. It may drive me crazy to say, but he's right. There is a major difference between the relationships of couples who go out and do things together and couples that only stay inside together. Whether you go out to the zoo, grocery shop together, or even to a party together, it's nice to take the relationship outside of the house. Expand your relationship from what you're used to and go do something! How lucky are you to be able to show off something so dear to your heart?

A healthy relationship is when you are invested in each other.

The greatest feeling is knowing that your best friends absolutely love your boyfriend, and that your boyfriend absolutely loves your best friends. It's amazing once you go to your boyfriend's place for the first time and meeting all his friends, not expecting them to be as close to you as they are now and now all of the sudden you have a handful of new guy friends that you love to death! It's important to date someone who is invested in all of you, and makes an effort to be apart of your whole life. Don't settle for anyone who doesn't love all of you, all of your friends, and all of your family. Don't settle for anyone who doesn't have the urge to know the deepest parts of your soul. When you are both invested in each other's whole hearts it's harder for the barriers of the world to come in between of your relationship.

A healthy relationship has open, honest communication.

I repeat. Open, honest communication. Whether it's choosing to hangout with your friends for once, or over nothing at all, it's never healthy to be with someone that is always picking fights with you. You should be able to calmly talk it out with whoever you're with and discuss it without problems. If all of your disputes end in yelling and frustration, you may need to take a second look at your relationship. It's important to be able to talk to the person you are in a relationship with about anything! Honesty builds trust. Honestly mention what is bothering you and talk it out calmly with your partner. It will never get better if you don't fix it to begin with. If you catch something early on that you don't agree with, immediately tell your boyfriend/girlfriend and extinguish the fire before it even starts. A relationship is has no real value if the communication is built on rocks.

A healthy relationship has your best interest at heart.

Oh dear...this is the most critical one! A relationship is basically an agreement between two people to always make sure the other person is being the person they were made to be, continuously making efforts to better each other. Who you're with should always be understanding when you become busy with all the work you have to handle. We are in a busy point in our lives and it's important that we put our full time and energy into what we do to prepare for our future. The person you are dating should always be your biggest fan, cheering you on through all your successes. They should always push you to be the best person that you can be, always expanding your comfort zone. There may be disagreements here and there, but you have to remember that if they didn't care they wouldn't push so hard. Consider it a blessing for your partner to challenge you, it's because they believe in you.

You are important and you are special. If you don't know how to value yourself, no one will know how to either. Don't settle for anyone who isn't willing to show the world that you are theirs. Don't settle for anyone who isn't invested in your whole life. Don't settle for anyone who doesn't talk to you about everything. Don't settle for anyone that isn't your biggest cheerleader. You are worth so much more than you think you are- don't settle for someone that can't see that and thank God if you have someone that can see that.