The Journey to Maintaining Healthy Relationships

Self, Family, Friends & Partners

By: Shaunna Bobbitt

Narrated by: Whitney Ann Jenkins for HotGhost Productions

Nothing beats a good connection, whether it's romantic, familial, or self-care. A relationship is a tight bond between two people that can be favorable or bad. There are different kinds of connections, each with its own set of features. Trust, mutual respect, honesty, open communication, and affection are characteristics of healthy partnerships. According to Sternberg's triangle theory of love, depending on which of these three aspects is present, we can find ourselves in one or more of these seven types of relationships. Passion relates to attraction and excitement, intimacy to closeness and connection, and commitment to the ongoing decision to stay in the relationship.

Relationships are as distinctive as the people in them, but certain essential characteristics may help us define what a good, healthy relationship is. We have four attachment types as adults: secure, dismissive/avoidant, anxious/preoccupied, and fearful-avoidant. How long we stay in partnerships is closely related to the style and quality of our attachment connections. In a good relationship, we must be transparent and trustworthy so that our spouse can trust us. Boundaries are simply how much we are ready to give or accept before things must change or we choose to leave the relationship. Respect for our relationship entails not belittling or demeaning them. We provide assistance, demonstrate affection, and are a source of comfort and support. Without trust, we are uncertain, pessimistic, lack closeness, worry, fear, distressed, loneliness, and other bad emotions. We may create trust in a relationship by strengthening our communication skills or recognizing our partner's triggers. Our primary love language is the language we use to demonstrate and communicate our feelings for our lover. If we believe our lover does not devote enough quality time to us, quality time is most likely our love language.

Affirmations are Marge's love language; deeds of service are George's. Knowing our partner's love languages may help us negotiate conflict and make them feel cherished. Compromise is the resolution of disagreements via mutual concession. Knowing how to compromise comes in helpful in a range of scenarios, from basic decisions like where to go on vacation to more complicated concerns like raising a family or managing our money. If we are in a one-sided or imbalanced relationship, we may wind up living in dread of giving up parts of ourselves for the sake of the connection.

Compromise is a necessary aspect of life, and learning to make good concessions can assist us in growing. Compromise becomes linked with dread and gloom when we are in love. Giving up on discussions becomes a harmful habit that we do reflexively, even while making major decisions. Some people give in to a dispute so that they may later be passive-aggressive about it. Relationships help to improve our general happiness and well-being. Giving and receiving love characterizes well-being and happiness derived from excellent relationships.

Everything we've spoken about so far is intended to help us develop stronger, healthier relationships that will last. The information and recommendations provided here in this book are meant to assist us in navigating relationships and achieving maximum enjoyment.

©2022 Shaunna Bobbitt (P)2022 Love, Life, Literature