How to Build Healthy Relationships

Relationships are a key aspect in life. This doesn’t just mean with a significant other; it can include friends, family, and even yourself. Healthy relationships will enhance your life, reduce stressors, and just make you feel good about yourself. Oftentimes, especially in quarantine, it can be hard to maintain relationships at all, but here are some tips to nurture and build relationships in your life.

Key Aspects of Healthy Relationships:

• respect

• care

• trust

• open communication

• equality

• both shared and individual interests

• understanding

• honesty

Benefits of Healthy Relationships:

• Increase your self worth and value

• Give you confidence

• Allow yourself to talk to someone when you are having a difficult time rather than just bottling it within yourself

• Gives you support to try new things and explore/live life to the fullest

• Makes you overall more happy and positive!

Communication: Communication is a key aspect in ALL relationships. In order to articulate your feelings and thoughts without tension, you must be willing to listen to the other person and vice versa. Respect is a key component of communication, and you have to be able to talk and listen regularly. It’s important to remember that misunderstandings are common, and you don’t have to have a perfect relationship without tension or arguments. Remember to put yourselves in their shoes, don’t over react, and talk about things honestly and respectfully.

When a relationship ends: All things can sometimes come to an end, and even though it may hurt, you can’t let it devour you. Try your best to end it with good terms, but if that doesn’t happen, move on with your life. It does hurt losing someone that was close to you, but that doesn’t mean your life gets put on pause. Make new relationships (healthy ones), and practice more self-love and self-care.

The bottom line is you can all form healthy relationships that will help boost your self-esteem, confidence, and happiness. If you find yourself in a toxic relationship, do your best to remove yourself from the situation for your own well-being. It’s important to maintain good relationships, especially in these times so you don’t fall into the hole of loneliness.

“A healthy relationship doesn’t drag you down. It inspires you to be better.” -Mandy Hale

Source: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/building-healthy-relationships