Healthy Relationships

Healthy Relationships

Whether it is with friends, family, or a significant other, having positive, supportive relationships can improve all aspects of your life, strengthening your health, your mind, and your connections with others. Relationships are an investment- the more you put in, the more you can get back. 

Communication Is Key.

The first step is making sure you both want and expect the same things - being on the same page is very important. The following tips can help you create and maintain a healthy relationship:

• Speak Up - In a healthy relationship, if something is bothering you, it’s best to talk about it instead of holding it in.
• Respect Your Partner - Your partner’s wishes and feelings have value. Let them know you are making an effort to keep their ideas in mind. Mutual respect is essential in maintaining healthy relationships.
• Compromise - Disagreements are a natural part of healthy relationships, but it’s important that you find a way to compromise if you disagree on something. Try to solve conflicts in a fair and rational way.
• Be Supportive - Offer reassurance and encouragement to your partner. Also, let your partner know when you need their support. Healthy relationships are about building each other up, not putting each other down.
• Respect Each Other’s Privacy - Just because you have a relationship with another person, doesn’t mean you have to share everything and constantly be together. Healthy relationships require space.

Create Healthy Boundaries.

Creating boundaries is a good way to keep your relationship healthy and secure. By setting boundaries together, you can both have a deeper understanding of the type of relationship that you and your partner want. Boundaries are not meant to make you feel trapped or like you’re “walking on eggshells.” Creating boundaries is not a sign of secrecy or distrust - it’s an expression of what makes you feel comfortable and what you would like or not like to happen within the relationship. Remember, healthy boundaries shouldn’t restrict your ability to:

• Go out with your friends without your partner.
• Participate in activities and hobbies you like.
• Respect each other’s individual likes and needs.

What Isn’t Healthy?

Relationships that are not healthy are based on power and control, not equality and respect.

Romantic Relationships - In the early stages of an abusive relationship, you may not think the unhealthy behaviors are a big deal. However, possessiveness, insults, jealous accusations, yelling, humiliation, pulling hair, pushing or other negative, abusive behaviors, are - at their root - exertions of power and control. Remember that abuse is always a choice and you deserve to be respected. There is no excuse for abuse of any kind.

Friendships and Bullying - While usually associated with school-aged children, bullying is also a reality for many adults, but instead of "bullying", it can sometimes be described as hazing, harassment, and stalking. "Bullying" can take on various forms. Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or their belongings. Verbal bullying involves communicating in a mean, aggressive, or inappropriate way including unwanted teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, or threatening to cause harm. Social bullying, or relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. This can include leaving someone out on purpose, telling others not to be friends with someone, spreading rumors, or embarrassing someone in public. Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media, text messages, chat, and websites. Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or e-mails, rumors sent by e-mail or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.