Whether it's a romantic, platonic or family relationship, here is a list to help you build and maintain healthy relationships. 

Building trust

Healthy relationships are built on trust. It can seem like an obvious thing when it comes to any relationship. Reassuring your partner or loved ones in moments where they feel negative emotions that can affect a relationship by affirming that you are committed, can help maintain a relationship. Ignoring or brushing their feelings aside can impact the relationship for the worse. Create an environment of trust and safety for them and vice versa when it comes to finding healthy relationships for yourself.

Learn to communicate effectively

Poor communication is the number one reason why couples split up. According to a survey by YourTango, 65% of marriages end in divorce because of lack of communication. Friendship’s end and families are torn when no one is listening to the other person. Listening and making your loved ones feel heard and understood are crucial to any relationship, especially when there is conflict. Doing this can help you make a decision or negotiate an option that makes you and them feel seen and heard. Learning to empathise with a loved one before you communicate your feelings can be beneficial to everyone in the long run.

There is support

Supporting loved ones in their goals or interest is a way in which you can build and maintain a healthy relationship. It may not be in your interest, or your dreams may not align with each other, but offering your support and encouragement until they reach these can go a long way. Supporting each other matters in a healthy relationship.

Boundaries are respected

Any healthy relationship has boundaries, and these are respected. Creating an environment where you can freely talk to each other about things that are important to you, things that you enjoy and things that you do not like is crucial. Someone not respecting boundaries can lead to an unhealthy relationship. Having the things that you value ignored and the boundaries you set constantly broken by a loved one is a red flag that could lead to bigger problems later.

Being your own person

Being able to spend time apart and pursue things that are within your interest that are different to a loved one’s interest is equally important. Celebrating all that is unique about you and embracing all that is unique about the people we care about is a way to create healthy relationships that do not cause a person to hide parts of themselves or experience shame.