I think the best way to live life is to learn from your mistakes. I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, so even your mistakes are no reason to be regretful. We’ve all made bad choices once or twice, but when it comes to the relationship you are immersing yourself in, you deserve nothing but the best. Love can be blinding. Don’t forget what a healthy relationship should look and feel like.
1. Trust
We all know a relationship is nothing without trust, but trusting your partner is so much more than just saying that you do. It’s much more exhausting to be searching for reasons not to trust your partner than to simply trust until you are given a reason not to.
In a healthy relationship, your partner won’t assume you have bad intentions. Putting your full trust into someone you love is liberating—assuming and accusing is not.
2. Honesty
With trust comes honesty, even when it’s
As the same goes with trust, it’s much easier to thrive in a healthy relationship with nothing to hide. Someone who is treating you right will be upfront with you about everything, even when he or she is afraid of what your reaction might be.
3. Compassion
Nowadays, being self-conscious comes as easily as night turns to day. A compassionate partner will relieve you of your insecurities. Being compassionate is showing your partner every single day that he or she is so special, either through your actions or words of affirmation.
Whether she brings you a late night snack for a study break or he sends you a heartfelt text, love can be expressed in an infinite number of ways.
4. Fun
A healthy relationship is one where you can be silly together, stupid together, and laugh at yourselves together. No healthy relationship is based on anger and sadness. Let happiness be the base of your foundation. Seeing each other will be the happiest part of your day if you are positive together and keep things lighthearted.
5. Controlled arguments
Though you want everything to be fun and games with your partner, life loves to get in the way. Things won’t be perfect all the time — in fact, a healthy relationship won’t be perfect all the time. However, a controlled argument is a lot different than a screaming match.
Fighting fire with fire isn’t the way to a solution.
When you’re angry, you say things you don’t mean if you’re not careful. Your partner should take a deep breath with you and work through your problem reasonably. You both want the best possible outcome, so get there together.
6. Ample amount of time apart
When you love someone a lot, it’s hard to not be selfish and want him or her to yourself all the time. But you have to be generous.
Your partner is awesome — that’s why you’re dating them.
Their friends think they’re awesome too, so as much as you don’t want to, you have to share! A healthy couple enjoys letting
Your partner will be so much more appreciative of you when you respect their desire to watch the game with the guys or have a girl’s night out. Even the strongest relationships need room to breathe sometimes.
7. Equality
The boy is not expected to always text you first or to pay for all of your meals, and the girl is not expected to clean up after you or cook all of your meals. If your relationship is healthy, the two of you are equals. Your partner will never expect more from you than what you are giving them.
8. Communication
It’s natural to instinctively tell your partner “Nothing,” when they ask what’s wrong, but don’t let that linger for too long. If you know each other well enough, you already know “nothing” is code for “something.”
Just talk about it. We, as girls, like to talk about how clueless guys can be, but girls can be just as clueless. Don’t assume your partner knows what’s wrong. Be upfront with him or her to avoid miscommunication or mixed signals.
Being a good communicator is critical in any situation, whether you’re having a disagreement or are trying to do long-distance. Use your words!
9. Support
In a healthy relationship, your partner is your biggest fan.
They want what’s best for you no matter what it means for you as a couple. If you score an internship on the other side of the country, they should be cheering you on. Accepting the distance factor might be hard, but someone who cares more about their own feelings than yours is only doing you more harm than good.
Your significant other will always want to see you thrive and will always pick you up when you fall. They will never hold you back from following your dreams or being proud of yourself.
You should always be your own top priority. Oftentimes, an unhealthy relationship can take that away from you. Loving someone is fun and can contribute greatly to making your life feel meaningful and wholesome. Though every relationship has its flaws, make sure you can tell the difference between imperfect and completely toxic.
