Nurturing love

Romantic and emotional relationships are very important in a person's life, even essential. But they are never perfect because neither are people, but it's important that we can feel good in that relationship most of the time. For a relationship to be healthy, both partners need to make an effort, be willing to work on the relationship, and address any difficulties that may arise in order to achieve the greatest possible emotional and overall well-being.

To achieve this, we must start with a non-idealized view of the relationship. Relationships go through periods of greater passion, others of greater stability and even routine, good times and not-so-good times, gradually evolving into richer and deeper connections. Making a relationship healthy involves accepting and managing these different phases and addressing any disagreements that may arise.

What characterizes healthy emotional relationships?

• Undoubtedly, love , admiration, and affection for the other person are the foundation of any healthy relationship, and they are not possible without also taking care of and loving ourselves.
• It's important to get to know the other person , to understand their personality, their concerns and goals, what they like, their life story, how they relate to their family and friends, and so on. The more you know the other person, the greater the trust and the better the communication.
• It's essential to treat the other person with respect and to be treated the same way. There will be things you don't always agree on, but you must respect their ideas and choices, and not expect to change them, as everyone has their own way of being. Respecting each other will increase trust within the relationship, as well as the desire to be together.
• Mutual trust is also an important pillar in any relationship, and it is not possible without honesty.
• To nurture trust, respect, and affection, good communication is essential, especially during disagreements or arguments. Dialogue allows for the creation of shared life plans, and this requires negotiation, apologizing, forgiving, compromise, and reaching agreements. Therefore, a positive attitude when discussing problems is crucial.
• Freedom and independence . Although it may seem contradictory, to have a healthy relationship and spend quality time together, it's essential to accept that the other person doesn't belong to us, has their own goals and dreams, and freely chooses to be in the relationship, just like us. Therefore, it's so important to also have personal space and for that space to be respected. In that personal space, each member of the relationship can do activities they enjoy, develop hobbies, and spend time with their family and friends. The shared space, also very important, is reserved for shared activities and everything that goes into the day-to-day life of the relationship.
  

  How to manage jealousy in a relationship

  Read more
• For a relationship to be healthy and solid, it is also important that they share a shared life project , that is, that they agree on important aspects such as marriage, having or not having children, and other important decisions in order to move in the same direction.
• With all that said before, based on respect, freedom, trust, and the desire to build a life together, it's necessary to establish boundaries : everything is fine within the relationship if both partners agree and freely decide to do so. Defining these boundaries from the beginning of the relationship allows you to get to know and respect the other person. Throughout the relationship, these boundaries can be reviewed and adapted to the needs of each moment, for which respect and communication are again essential.
• Sex plays a significant role in relationships, although the importance given to it will vary from couple to couple. It's important that within the relationship, it can be discussed openly and honestly.

How can we communicate better in a relationship?

To make our communication more respectful and effective, it is advisable to avoid messages such as "you have said/done" or using labels, avoid the words "always" and "never", and instead use phrases such as "I believe", "I feel", "I think we could".

It's also important to maintain an active listening attitude , avoiding interruptions when the other person is speaking and showing signs that we are paying attention. When it's our turn to speak, trying to summarize what the other person has said and what we consider most important will help them be more receptive to our ideas, feelings, and thoughts, even if we don't completely agree.

Sometimes the two people arguing have very different points of view, and it becomes necessary to look for intermediate solutions that both can feel comfortable and agree with.

Some other ideas that help to have more constructive and healthy dialogue and discussion may be:

• Discuss only one topic at a time.
• Use a friendly tone.
• Avoid discussing issues when our level of anger is high.
• Be specific in our requests to the other person.
• Try to end the conversation with a positive message, such as thanking the other person for talking to resolve the problem.

And what happens when it doesn't work?

Building strong and healthy relationships isn't always easy, and it's important to talk about it with the other person and see what you can improve, always with trust and respect.

Sometimes, if we can't solve problems on our own, talking to a professional can help resolve those problems and improve the relationship.