Relationships are a big part of the social support network that is pivotal to our physical and mental well-being. In healthy relationships, we surround ourselves with people who encourage healthy behaviors such as eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly and not smoking. These types of relationships provide a foundation to help us live long, happy and fulfilling lives.
In a healthy relationship, you and your partner make each other feel loved and emotionally fulfilled. You communicate openly and are not afraid of respectful (but sometimes difficult) disagreement. You share similar interests and goals with your significant other and are not competing against each other.
There is a lot that can go wrong in a relationship. Often, these changes are the result of the natural ebb and flow that occurs when two people enter into a commitment. People lose jobs, have health problems or change careers, and friends and family come and go. These ebbs and flows are a part of life and your job is to ride the waves together.
You and your partner can make a commitment to each other to work through these changes rather than panic and think that something is fundamentally wrong with the relationship. You may need to work harder at communication and understanding each other but this doesn’t have to be painful or exhausting. You might find that the most productive approach is to spend some time each day talking about your interests and goals in life without distractions. This will strengthen your emotional and physical intimacy as you learn more about each other.