A good, healthy relationship is one that adds meaning to the lives of both parties involved. These relationships require much more than just mutual interests, attraction, and strong emotional feelings.
Here are the key characteristics that all healthy relationships should have.
Healthy Relationship Characteristics
Trust
For a relationship to be healthy, there must be trust between the parties involved. You should be able to trust your partner with your feelings and have them trust you with theirs in return. This trust should be earned on each of the emotional, physical, and spiritual levels.
Respect
Respect is important in positive relationships. Without it, feelings get hurt and relationships fall apart. They may even become toxic.
You must respect your partner in every aspect of life and take care to treat them with the same respect that you hope to be treated with. Try to avoid saying hurtful things out of anger, never put your partner down, and be supportive.
Forgiveness
As humans, we make mistakes. Often, we hurt our partners without intending to — and that’s when forgiveness comes in. You and your partner should be able to forgive each other for mistakes that are made. You don’t have to forgive your partner right away and should not expect them to forgive you immediately, either. However, forgiveness should come at some point.
Appreciation
When you appreciate something – including a partner- you’re more likely to treat that thing gently and with respect. This being said, it’s crucial to appreciate your partner and all they do for you. Appreciate what they bring to your life, how they make you feel, and show them that.
This appreciation should be mutual.
Honesty
Without honesty in a relationship, what is there? That’s the question that has been asked for decades. The answer is that, unfortunately, a relationship without honesty doesn’t have much at all.
That’s because honesty is one of the foundations for relationships. If you’re not being honest, then you’re not being respectful or appreciative. You’re then also making it hard for your partner to trust you.
To have a relationship that is beneficial and productive, you must have these key characteristics. Without them, your relationship is lacking crucial elements.
The good news is that if your relationship is lacking these things, there are ways to build them up. Relationship counselling is always a good option to fix these problems.