10 Things Couples In Healthy Relationships Never Forget To Do
Are you in it to win it?
Getty Images Perfection, as we know, is not attainable. It's what most relationship advice tells us. And one of the reasons why it's not attainable is that it has a different meaning for everyone. What one person defines as "perfection" could be completely different from another.
Furthermore, perfection doesn't allow room for real life. It doesn't allow room for personality, for nuances, for the very things that make people and relationships beautiful.
What we can strive for, though, is finding what we could consider the "ultimate" relationship for us. When that one person walks into your life and makes you realize why it never worked out with anyone else.
What does this type of healthy relationship look like?
1. There is no judgment.
Happiness in a relationship comes from two teammates who are able to be open and honest with each other. That honesty comes from being comfortable to open up and know that you will not be judged.
When you're sharing your life with someone, there is no room for discomfort, secrets, or lies. Especially secrets or lies that are forced by the inability to be genuine with your teammate.
The right person for you will support and encourage you on your journey to becoming the person you want to be, but they will also love you as the person you already are — no judgment allowed.
2. You have discussions, not fights.
It's natural to face conflicts when you spend a lot of time with any person, but a healthy relationship will resolve any issues by discussing their opinions and stances in order to understand each other better and reach a solution they both agree on.
Frequent nasty, vindictive fights are a sign to re-evaluate your relationship.
3. There is mutual support.
Whether or not you share each others' passions or life ambitions when you truly care about someone you want to see them succeed and be happy in whatever they love. This means standing beside them, not in their way when they dedicate effort towards pursuing a goal.
4. You are frequently intimate.
Let's face it, this is a big part of a relationship, and it'll be easy to tell if you're in a good place together or not.
5. There is unwavering mutual respect.
This one needs no explanation: mutual respect between partners in a relationship is paramount to its success. Honesty, trust, friendship, and intimacy all grow from this foundation. Without respect, there is nothing else.
6. There is trust.
I'm not sure why this one is so difficult to grasp, but if your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to go out with their friends who they haven't seen in a while, what's the harm? A solid relationship won't be shaken by this simple act, and you know they'll be back in your arms at the end of the night or the next day.
Nothing to see here, kids. Move along.
If your partner doesn't trust you and you've given them no reason to feel this way, it is possible they are projecting their own infidelities or insecurities onto you. In the "ultimate" relationship, both partners have earned each others' trust and would never do anything to betray it.
7. There is compromise.
While you should be compatible with your teammate, that doesn't mean that you will automatically love every single thing they love, and vice versa. If you truly care for someone and their happiness, you will be willing to watch, do, see, and experience things they enjoy, as they would do for you in return.
Without compromise, we can easily find our relationships resembling a see-saw with a huge boulder on one side — the distribution never shifts. In this case, the boulder represents the wants and needs of one partner. There should be an equal amount of balance in order to keep you both happy and satisfied.
8. You understand you both have a past, but that's where it stays.
When animosity or bitterness from or towards a previous relationship is brought into a new situation, it's like taking a shower and putting the same dirty clothes back on again after. You're not really starting fresh.
Two mature teammates will accept the fact that they are (probably) not the first person their partner has ever been with, and understand that those experiences have shaped him/her into the person they are today. In reality, these experiences should actually be seen as a good thing, because they ultimately created the person you fell in love with.
9. You have similar goals or dreams for your future.
We can't expect our significant other to have an identical plan for their future as we do, but it is reasonable to desire similarities when building a life with someone.
Like any team, as a relationship is, the results are best when the members are working towards a common goal together. This goal could even be something so simple as self-improvement.
If one teammate is dedicating their life to personal growth, and the other is content with how things are and never displays a desire for change, then this can easily create resentment and tension over time.
10. You never lose sight of the little things.
The small things you do for someone are what count the most. These are the actions that show your partner that you're willing to put in effort for them, just because. No special occasion or holiday is required. You don't need a schedule to show someone you love them.
A happy, healthy relationship will consist of two partners willing to put in equal effort, consistently. Great relationships are not about give and take, they're about give and give.
When these little things start to fade is when the strength of the relationship will start to become more questionable. Do they really appreciate you? Do they still care as much as they once did? Is our relationship becoming stronger over time, or weaker? Once you start asking yourself these questions, it is time to address them and find real answers.
Every person who reads this will have a different image of their “ultimate” relationship in their mind. The key thing is to understand that it is possible to achieve, as long as both teammates are willing to put in the effort to uphold the integrity of the wants and desires.
Does it sound like work? That's because relationships can be, but that's what makes the great ones so rewarding.
James Michael Sama is an award-winning Boston-based blogger who writes about dating and relationships. He speaks on the topics of chivalry, romance, and happiness and has been featured repeatedly in news segments, talk shows, and mainstream radio. Follow him on Twitter.