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Learning The Characteristics That Make a Relationship Healthy

Love is frequently hailed as one of the world’s most exquisite and potent forces. When we read books like The Love I Thought I Knew, we realize that love has the capacity to profoundly inspire, heal, and unite people. But even though love can bring happiness, contentment, and power, if it isn’t cultivated properly, you also become complex and dangerous.

Building relationships that promote emotional health and personal development requires understanding love of when it is healthy and when it isn’t. This article will discuss the traits of healthy and unhealthy love as well as how to tell the difference between the two.

Understanding Love: Characteristics of a Healthy Relationship

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Respects Boundaries

When you tell your spouse that you’re uncomfortable doing something, does he or she immediately back off? When understanding love, know that respect indicates that both partners value one another. It also entails being aware of and respectful of the boundaries set by others. Things that you are comfortable with are on one side, and things that you are uncomfortable with or don’t feel prepared for are on the other. 

Everybody has a distinct interpretation of this line; therefore, one of the critical characteristics of a healthy relationship is to understand where yours should be. By establishing boundaries, you may communicate concerns to your spouse and let them know when something doesn’t feel right.

50-50

In your partnership, there must be reciprocity. Do you each choose a movie you should watch? Do you and your partner spend as much time with each other’s friends as you do with your own? If the balance isn’t fair, you can’t do it. When understanding love, remember that a relationship devolves into a constant power struggle in which both parties strive for their own interests; things can quickly go south.

Distinct identities

You both had your own lives—friends, families, and hobbies—when you first started dating, and that shouldn’t change. Neither of you should have to stop doing things you enjoy, stop visiting your friends, or pretend to like something you don’t. Additionally, both of you should feel free to develop each of your personal strengths and weaknesses.

Honesty To Them

Since it is difficult to have trust when one of you is dishonest, this is directly related to trust. Have you ever discovered a major lie from your partner? For instance, you might learn later that your partner was clubbing with friends on Friday night even though they claimed to have work. The next time you hear an excuse from work, you may find it hard to believe.

Gaining trust can take time. Furthermore, you cannot hold your current partner responsible for the actions of another person, it’s though it can be difficult to trust someone, particularly if that trust has been betrayed in the past.

Trust Your Partner

In the same way that you show your honesty to them, you should also learn how to trust them and believe that they are honest people. Don’t trust, let’s say, your partner while you are going with another close friend. Do you become agitated? Because envy is a normal feeling, it’s acceptable if you experience it occasionally. What counts, though, when understanding love is how someone responds to jealousy. Without mutual trust, a partnership cannot be healthy and thrive.

Effective Communication

Are you able to discuss your priorities with one another? Don’t suppress “our emotion” because you’re worried your partner won’t like it. The individual will also allow you space to think things through if you don’t want to before you’re ready to discuss them.

It is also important to know how to listen. Put your phone away so you can listen intently to the other person while they are speaking; wait until they have finished speaking before responding; use acknowledging words like “interesting” to let them know you are listening; ask questions if you don’t understand something to prevent confusion and misunderstandings; don’t leave them hanging (if you need to consider what they said before responding, let them know that). Be ready to hear something you don’t like and give it careful thought before responding.

Companionship and Support

Your companion should be there for you in more than simply difficult moments. Some individuals are wonderful when things are going badly for you, but they don’t care as much about the positive aspects of your life. Remember that love builds strong foundations for a long term companionship. When you learn that they lost their job, be there to listen, and when they land a big business deal, be there to celebrate.

Things To Look Out For: Unhealthy Relationships

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No Respect

Lack of respect is one of the most obvious indicators of unhealthy love. This might show up as insults, demeaning remarks, contemptuous actions, or a lack of consideration for the needs and feelings of the other person. One or both partners may routinely act in ways that diminish the other’s sense of self-worth in toxic relationships. Ignoring limits, interrupting, or failing to accept the viewpoint of others are more examples of disrespect.

Insufficient Trust and Insincerity

A major issue in unhealthy relationships is a lack of trust. While understanding love, make sure you know that relationship harm can be irreversible if one or both partners act dishonestly, secretly, or betrayed. Unhealthy love is demonstrated by persistently doubting the other person’s motives, prying into private items, or unjustly accusing them of lying. Relationships frequently become strained or toxic as a result of the ongoing suspicion and uneasiness that result from shattered trust, which is hard to restore.

Control and Jealousy

In partnerships, excessive jealousy and domineering conduct are serious warning signs. Under the pretext of “caring” or “protectiveness,” one partner in an abusive relationship may attempt to dictate the other’s behavior, friendships, or location.

Final Takeaways

Because toxic love can result in both physical and emotional harm, it is important to distinguish between the two types of love. While toxic love feeds on deception, control, and contempt, healthy love fosters respect, trust, and growth for both parties. 

To safeguard emotional health and make sure that relationships continue to be a source of joy and support rather than anguish and suffering, it is crucial to recognize the telltale indications of both types of love. Would you like to read a book on the dynamics of true love? Grab a copy of The Love I Thought I Knew by Donald Welch.