Guide to Healthy Relationships : Are You Happy With Your Relationship?

Characteristics of a healthy relationship

• Both the individuals in a healthy relationship value and understand each other’s emotions, boundaries, etc. for mutual respect
• Partners have trust in each other and they do not doubt the activities or action of each other
• A healthy relationship is built on honesty which is the foundation of their relationship
• The partners should acknowledge the point of views of each other, and develop the willingness to give and take while compromising their own interest
• The partners need not have to compromise on the individuality. Both have the right and freedom to continue with his/her hobbies or interests, meet whomsoever they like, etc.
• Be supportive of the partner for pursuing new activities, jobs, or even interests.
• Honesty and clear communication are some of the basics of a healthy relationship. Be open enough to avoid any miscommunications and respect the feelings and wishes of each other
• No doubt, everyone gets angry at some point in their life, but that doesn’t affect a healthy relationship. Handle anger in different ways like making counts, deep breathing, talking, etc.
• While having arguments, stick to the actual subject and avoid adding other unwanted issues to it. Beware while talking in arguments and avoid insults as it is the quickest way to breakups
• In a healthy relationship, none of the partners forces his decision on the other one. Be comfortable and calm to express your opinions freely
• Behave in a respectful way by following an inspirational friend, family member, or anyone for having a healthy relationship
• Get involved in a sexual relationship in which both are comfortable, and there is no scope of forced engagement or pressure for sexual activity outside the comfort zone

Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships

“You can’t just give up on someone because the situation’s not ideal. Great relationships aren’t great because they have no problems. They’re great because both people care enough about the other person to find a way to make it work.”

Relationships can surely be quite complicated and tricky. No doubt, all the couples want to get involved in a rewarding and successful relationship, but the challenges and difficult periods are also a part of the relationship which makes it multifaceted. Many couples while dating extensively enjoy the phase of having butterflies in the stomach when in love, while on the other hand, the commitment and feeling of losing each other bring it to a falling phase, resulting in fights and at the end breakup.

But all these doesn’t mean that one should avoid getting involved in relationships. Having a healthy relationship is essential in everyone’s life as well as it is quite natural for people to get attracted, connected, and gravitated to each other.

There are many different types of relationships namely intimate partners, close relationships, friendships, etc. And having such a bunch of relationships makes it difficult to learn which one can be a healthy or unhealthy one for you.

Through this piece of information, lets today explore both healthy and unhealthy relationships, the signs to determination, and when to seek professional help to deal with an unhealthy relationship.

Signs You Are in A Healthy Relationship

A healthy relation is said to be established when the connection of two people includes mutual respect, trust, honesty, support, equality, separate identities, good communication, and a feeling of playfulness. When a relationship has all these features, it truly works. This applies to every relationship including family, friendships, work relationships, and even romantic relationships.

A healthy relationship introduces happiness in the life of both individuals and reduces the stress levels to a great extent. Such relationships are essential to maintain mental stress and happiness, which indirectly is helpful for a healthy heart. Healthy relationships may or may not be perfect, but such relationships are capable enough to handle weaknesses, problems, and even strengths with each other’s support.

Signs of a Healthy Relationship : Signs that Indicate You are in a Healthy Relation

• In a healthy relationship, you look after yourself and have a better and independent self-confidence for the same
• Both the partners respect and maintain the individuality of each other
• The partners or individuals maintain improved relationships with family and friends
• Work on activities that are different from each other
• The partners have the freedom to express their thoughts and feelings without any kind of fear or other consequences
• Both individuals feel comfortable and secure with each other
• A healthy relationship encourages each other for various activities with complete freedom
• The individuals are interested in the work, hobby, and passion of the other partner or individual
• They are not having any fear regarding violence in their relationship
• Both the individuals respect each other’s privacy and respect the sexual boundaries too
• In a healthy sexual relationship, the partners are honest regarding their sexual activities
• A healthy give and take relationship are shared with good levels of influence which is at times difficult for particular men
• Both the individuals are capable of handling the conflict in a fair way

A healthy relationship is also based on mutual support where both care for each other for dealing with all the happiness and conflicts. The partners well understand their differences and handle it very well.

How does a healthy relationship handle argument?

Disagreement, minor conflicts, arguments, misunderstandings, etc. are quite common in any relationship, but the way both individuals deal with it helps in deciding whether it is a healthy one or an unhealthy one. It is surely a problem if the partners keep on fighting all the time and say something that is cruel. Again, physical fighting that is hitting, punching, etc. is definitely not right.

Here are some essential tips on how healthy relationships deal with fighting:

• During conflicts, try to remain calm and speak with a tranquil tone, no matter how much upset you are
• Even if your partner is wrong, avoid accusing or blaming. Explain your feeling without embarrassing the other individual
• Rather than avoiding the problem, try to address it, understand it, and aim to settle everything peacefully. Avoid winning the argument
• When the conflicts are too hot, simply stop everything and take a break. Give yourself and your partner some time to cool off before talking again

There are times when individuals fight online. During such time also, it is also essential to be respectful to each other and avoid comments and posts that would harm the emotions of the other. Think twice before pressing the send or enter button as words once sent cannot be deleted and may worsen the situation.

Signs You Are in An Unhealthy Relationship

No doubt, every relationship goes through some conflicts at some point, but this doesn’t mean it is an unhealthy relationship. Tension is something that constantly prevails in an unhealthy relationship. Both the partners remain in stress and find it difficult to cope up with each other on every point. Again, at times, some of the relationships are quite toxic where the individuals feel scared and insecure with each other.

Any relationship can be termed as unhealthy when the bad behavior overshadows the good one which can lead to harmful results for either one or both the partners. In such relationships, the individual feels alone and can abandon family members and friends.

Here are some signs that indicate you are in an unhealthy relationship

• In an unhealthy relationship, you neglect yourself or the partner and place one person before any other
• Feel pressurized for changing yourself or your individuality
• Feel quite anxious when there are disagreements with another person
• In an unhealthy relationship, the individual feels pressured and quits the interesting activities once enjoyed
• Pressurize the other individual for agreeing with something he doesn’t want to or make changes for improving yourself
• Justification of your actions like places you visit, whom you meet, etc. are carried out
• One of the partners feels indebted in terms of sexual activities or getting forced for the same
• Lack of privacy or pressure to share everything with the partner
• Refusal in using precautions while having sex by either of the partners
• Unfair settlement of the arguments
• Control over your dressing sense, behavior, etc. by either of the partner
• Not spending the required time with each other
• Lack of respect for the friends and family members of the partner or having no friends in common
• Unsatisfactory control of resources like home, money, car, etc. with each other
• Lack of equality and fairness in the relationship
• One of the partners humiliates the other one in front of other people, friends, or family members

Meanwhile, here is a handy guide on how to reduce your stress with the help of positive thinking.

Some of the relationships have mild unhealthiness, which is a little normal as things get settled as time passes. But if this continues for a long time, and none of the partners improve the negativizes in the relationship, it is surely an unhealthy relationship and it becomes important for them to quit before the situation worsens.

What Are the Warning Signs for A Relationship Turning Unhealthy?

Yes, there are chances that you are enjoying a healthy relationship but are not aware of it turning into an unhealthy relationship. Here are some warning signs you need to look over.

1. Jealousy

Does your partner question you about your activities, whom you are talking with, accused you of flirting, frequent calls to check you out, etc? This is a sign of jealousy which can turn your relationship into an unhealthy relationship anytime.

2. Behavior control

Is your partner controlling your decisions, finances, your communications, friends, etc.? This kind of behavior control can lead to an unhealthy relationship anytime.

3. Impractical expectations

Is your partner expecting you to meet all the requirements of the family, and himself both emotionally, domestically, and physically without any feeling of care for you? Such expectations that are unrealistic can be dangerous for your relationship.

4. Disdain

Is your partner thinking that he or she is better than you on every aspect, constantly places you down, scorns your privacy in front of other friends or family members, etc.? Be careful, this can be hazardous to your relationship.

5. Blame and Verbal Abuse

Blaming and verbal abuse go hand in hand when it comes to damage any relationship. When either of the individuals in a relationship is blamed for any issues or problems that occur in the life or family, as well as where verbal manipulation is done through cruelty, degradation, shouting, etc., the relationship is surely getting ruined.

6. Violent threats and physical violence

Does your partner threaten you physically, emotionally, or mentally? Such physical force is also termed to be one type of monitoring that is risky for a healthy relationship. Again, physical violence like hitting, pushing, biting, punching, throttling, etc. can also make your relationship unsafe to be in.

Are you feeling any of the above issues in your relationship? It’s the right time to think if the healthiness of your relationship is still alive or not.

When Should You Look for Professional Help for Healthy Relationships?

Are you forced by your partner, or is there any physical violence even in terms of sexual activities? This is the alarming sign you are in an unhealthy relationship and need to escape from it as soon as possible. In such a situation, it becomes essential to look for some professional help for improving or ending your relationship. No matter even if your partner loves you, it doesn’t mean they have the right to harm you.

Some other conditions in which professional help is necessary includes:

• Unhappiness in any relationship, where it becomes difficult to accept the unhappiness or recover from the relationship or end it
• When you are willing to quit from any relationship, but still find yourself connected in it
• When you feel fear, guilt, loneliness, etc. in any relationship you are living in
• A history of having more than one unhealthy relationship

When you feel in any of such situations, it is better to seek some professional help to deal with the situation or relationship. Some of the assistant types you can choose from including specialized counseling agencies, family mediators, sexual advice services, relationship skills courses, relationship check-up services, parenting skills courses, online counseling, telephone counseling, family violence interventions, separation courses, lifestyle transition courses, stepfamily support, children’s contact services, and many more.

Summary

Certainly, your relationship might seem to be healthy, but at times, it is better to look for improvements or backup from the same. It is better to look for a partner who understands you and your emotions and respects you in every aspect. Try to overcome from past abuses, breaking objects, threats, etc. and look for a healthy relationship, and get committed only after you are completely satisfied with the behavior of the partner. Understanding and patience is the key for healthy relationships.

So, analyze the relationship, and work together for building a strong and healthy relationship for a happy and satisfied life.