DAY 30 OF 30 OF THE APRIL RELATIONSHIP WRITING CHALLENGE
The Best Advice I Have To Maintain A Long, Healthy Relationship
I think that the body of work for this entire month-long writing challenge has the bits and pieces to show that
I can give advice. It’s not that I don’t want to give advice. It’s just that many times I like to show and lead by example rather than tell people how to do something.
Trust is important in a relationship
In the case of my own relationship, I find that the things that keep my relationship going the most are trust, communication, and respect. Without trust, my relationship would’ve completely fallen apart.
I only know this for sure because it nearly did after I cheated on my partner. It took me years to rebuild that trust and I haven’t broken it since. I’ve never had a reason to mistrust Mike as he has always been open, upfront, and honest with me. That leads me to my second piece of advice.
Communication is another key factor in maintaining a healthy relationship
Communication is crucial to keeping a relationship healthy and vibrant. If you don’t talk to each other, you don’t know how the other person is feeling and it’s hard to get on the same page as your partner. You two, most likely best friends, should be telling each other everything from day to day.
I’m not saying that you have to share every little thought with your partner but definitely share the most important things with them and you will see massive improvements. I think that listening goes along with communication too.
If there is a disconnect in listening, then one side is going to feel neglected. I’ve gotten better at listening to my partner’s needs and making sure that they are met. Without that constant line of communication, you might as well just be in a relationship with yourself at that point.
Respect is another important factor and one that can’t be revisited enough
I’ve already written about the role of respect in a relationship once this month in this same writing challenge. I’ll just go ahead and briefly touch on it again. It is very important. I think that respect goes hand in hand with love and shouldn’t be ignored.
One person shouldn’t think that they should have to dominate another and think that they are the better one in a relationship. A relationship is a partnership, not an ownership. I know you’ve seen those types of relationships in public, the ones where one of the partners is afraid to say or do anything for fear of the response of the other person.
Conclusion and a special thanks
I’m not about toxic relationships. This story is about healthy relationships and advice to maintain them. These three main points are the keys to doing that. If you can think of any other principles of a healthy relationship, feel free to leave a comment below and let me know. Also, thank you to Susie Winfield for hosting and making this month-long relationship writing challenge. I had such a great time reflecting on my own relationship, sharing many intimate details from that relationship, and getting a chance to interact with many people who could relate to the stories.
Karen Schwartz, Ruby Noir, Denise Kendig, Keeley Schroder, Marlana, MSW, and Susie Winfield
