Respect is one of the most important building blocks when it comes to creating a healthy and happy relationship with your partner.
Respect is something that everyone deserves, and to get respect you also have to give it as well. Couples who respect each other will be able to support and trust one another while valuing each other’s independence. Having respect for your partner and vice versa means that both of you have the freedom to be yourself, make decisions and compromises as a team, along with the ability to talk freely and honestly with one another.
Tips that can help build a happier relationship include:
Stay involved with one another
In some relationships, many couples tend to ‘co-exist’ rather than working together and staying involved with what each other is doing. Although it may seem like a stable front on the outside, in reality a lack of communication and involvement can increase the distance between you both underneath. You may find the connection is no longer there when you need to talk about something important. To stay involved you can:
- Ask about each other’s day. Truly listen to each other’s responses. Showing genuine interest in each other’s lives and daily happenings can create deeper intimacy and understanding.
- Take the time to do something special with your partner like go out for dinner or to the movies.
- Help each other around the house. Share cooking duties or cook together.
- Commit to spending time with your partner on a regular basis, even if your life is busy.
- Try something new together.
- Do something you both enjoy doing. We all know that life can be stressful and so making time for fun is important too. Fun and play can help you remember why you both chose each other in the first place, re-igniting a lightness and play in the relationship.
Don’t fear conflict
When it comes to conflict many people tend to fear it. Unfortunately, this can lead to relationship problems and an imbalance in the ‘power’ within the home. Healthy relationships all have one thing in common, they don’t fear conflict but embrace it as a time to express themselves and what’s bothering them without the fear of retaliation. Those who don’t fear conflict and use it to their advantage have a better chance of resolving the conflict without degradation, humiliation, or being caught up on who’s right. Healthy conflict can be liberating if the discussion space encourages honest and courageous conversations and each partner truly listens and hears each other out. These conversations can help clear away whatever might have been bubbling away under the surface.
Communicate regularly
The key to communication is being honest and direct within any relationship. Bonds and trusts are strengthened when couples feel comfortable enough about expressing their desires, needs and fears openly without judgement. Non-verbal cues are also important to improving communication between couples. These include touching, leaning away or forward, along with making eye contact. Take note though that some people respond differently to certain cues, if their body language reads anger or annoyance, try a different approach while communicating.
Allowing each other to have outside interests
It’s important to understand that no one person can meet all the needs of another. This is why it’s important to allow your other half to still keep their outside interests including friends, jobs, and hobbies. Having enough respect and trust to allow outside interests will strengthen your relationship while bringing new and exciting stimulation to it as well.
Learn to give and take
Learning when to give and take is essential to maintaining a healthy and long lasting respectful relationship. Those who always give without receiving anything in return will become resentful of their other half. This in turn will lead the relationship into a downward spiral if not recognised in time. Always remember that if you take something, you need to give something back to the relationship as well.
Traps to avoid in a relationship
- Avoid putting down your other half, belittling them, and accusing them of outrageous accusations. Also don’t assume that being put down is normal in any relationship. It is in truth a sign of disrespect.
- Don’t make choices by yourself if you know it will affect your other half.
- Don’t assume that once together or married you can stop trying to build your relationship.
- Don’t blame a failing relationship all on your other half. Remember it takes two to build a relationship.
- Don’t reject your partner if they’re wanting to talk to you. It’s a sure sign something’s wrong.
- Don’t assume your relationship will be like a fairy-tale after you’re married.
- Don’t feel you’re entitled to the other’s hard working money because you’re married.
The key to maintaining a healthy and happy relationship is above all hard work. It won’t just happen, you both need to put in some time and effort to make it a happy place for you both. So did you learn anything from this article that you’re going to change in your relationship?
Support Our Campaign
We rely on the generosity of the public to fund our work and so far together we have achieved great things! Please do continue to support us so we can provide future generations in Ireland with the resources to recognise and talk about their emotions, and equip them to navigate the ever-changing world around them as they grow
