We all know that being in a healthy relationship is important and can lead to a longer lasting partnership with higher levels of happiness and satisfaction. What exactly does it mean to be in a healthy relationship?

Here are some common signs:

1. You support & celebrate each other’s wins: 

When people are in healthy relationships, they tend to respond with happiness and cheer about their partner’s good news and celebrations. It’s important to truly support one another when you’re in a relationship. 

2. You have your own identity, activities, and friends: 

Maintaining your own self-identity is critical for a healthy relationship. People find that when they are able to express with own interests and identity, they have more satisfaction in their relationship. Maintaining a sense of self with your own activities, friends, and identity can lead to more overall happiness. 

3. You have common ground and a similar sense of humor:

While having your own identity, opinions and differences can be important in a relationship, sharing of common ground is also important. Research shows us that sharing of a sense of humor can also be beneficial in relationships. Laughing together and sharing of positive experiences can be beneficial in relationships. 

4. You split chores:

It can be common for couples to build resentments and feel taken advantage of if the chores and duties around the home are not shared in a way that both partners’ agree with. Therefore, it’s important to share in responsibilities and have both parties come to an agreement on what they both feel comfortable with. 

5. You try new things together:

While sharing of routines and habits together as a couple can be important, it’s also fun and healthy to try new things together. Being spontaneous and taking risks together as a couple, leads to further trust and stability in the relationship. It helps to build a positive alliance with one another. It can also create more excitement and joy by trying new and spontaneous things together. 

6. You recover from arguments & forgive: 

Moving beyond arguments and resentments is an important part of healthy relationships. Forgiveness is a key ingredient. Couples who have healthier relationships tend to move beyond arguments more successfully and engage in forgiveness, rather than letting negative resentments build and worsen over time. 

7. You get along: 

This one may seem silly, but if you’ve ever been in a relationship where there is constant drama or bickering, then you’ll understand the importance here. Getting along for the majority of the time and having mutual understanding is key to the health of a relationship. While arguments can be normal process and sometimes even healthy when done in an appropriate manner, you don’t want to be in a constant battle. This can lead to resentments, negativity, and bring down the health of the relationship.

8. You trust each other:

This one is really key to relationship success as trust is a basic foundation that is required in any healthy relationship. Without trust, couples can have a hard time getting emotionally close and being connected. Lack of trust can also lead to unhealthy patterns such as jealousy and dishonesty. Therefore, trust is a key ingredient in relationship happiness and success.

9. You find compromise:

Being able to find compromise as a couple is essential. Couples who show signs and willingness to work together as a team find that they tend to be happier and healthier. Couples who are unable to find compromise usually stay in a state of constant argument, resentments, and gridlock. Emotional gridlock is the idea that two people get in a standoff in their relationship and simply cannot move forward. They are then unable to make positive changes or find a compromise. 

10. You show each other love & affection:

The demonstration of physical affection is key to a happy relationship. The research shows that couple’s who engage in more physical affection report higher levels of happiness and relationship satisfaction. Demonstrating physical affection is also key to maintaining feelings of love, support, and safety. Physical affection increases neurochemicals and hormones in the brain, such as oxytocin, which is known as the “love hormone” because oxytocin increases our feelings of love. Oxytocin, for example, is also released when a mother breastfeeds her baby; therefore, increasing feelings of love, connection, and safety. Similarly, in romantic relationships, the release of oxytocin during sex or physical affection can also increase the overall feeling of being in love with the other person.

ONLINE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE

If you are needing support or are interested in relationship coaching, virtual services are available, see Online Coaching with Dr. Shelley. Services are provided by telephone or online through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth portal, which allows you to be in the comfort of your own home during sessions & have increased privacy. Sessions are available for individuals or couples. Appointments can be booked online or simply email Dr. Shelley with any questions or appointment requests.

JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS:

If you’d like to read more on relationship topics and hear tips for couples, be sure to JOIN our free Facebook group called The Couples Collaborative. This is a free, but private and closed online support group that is listed under the Loving Roots Project Facebook page. The group is facilitated by Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt, Clinical Psychologist and Relationship Coach and provides tips and inspirational material for couples and supportive discussions on challenging relationship-related issues.

Blog written by: Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt, Clinical Psychologist, Relationship Coach & Founder of the Loving Roots Project, an online wellness practice specializing in personal growth, mental wellness, & relationship betterment.

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