Relationships 101: Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationships

Relationships can be rocky. However, that doesn’t mean you’re with the wrong person. People who spend a lot of time together, especially those trying to share a life, are going to run into speed bumps.

But what if things are worse than that? What if the person you’re with doesn’t pay attention to you or respect your feelings? What if they’re abusive?

Do you know if you’re in a healthy vs unhealthy relationship?

We’re here to give you some valuable insight. Keep reading for everything you need to know about healthy relationships, including how to determine if you have an unhealthy one.

Communication

Communication is important in any relationship, especially those of an intimate nature. Both people need to be free to speak their minds. If you’re unhappy about something, are feeling neglected, or feel like you’re missing something, you need to be able to talk about it.

However, this means you need to hold a space for your partner to speak as well. You need to be open to hearing their concerns and issues.

Respect

Mutual respect is also indicative of a healthy vs unhealthy relationship. You can love someone without respecting them. However, these types of relationships are rarely healthy.

An unhealthy relationship without respect is one where one or both partners talk about the other behind their backs. This is common when couples retreat to their individual friends and family members and can be incredibly detrimental to the relationship.

Trust

Do you trust your partner? Do they trust you? If the answer to either of those questions is no, you may have an unhealthy relationship.

You can hardly expect your relationship to flourish if you are constantly questioning your partner’s actions and/or faithfulness. On the reverse side, it can be difficult to love someone who constantly questions your integrity.

Safety

A more obvious sign that you are in an unhealthy relationship is if you don’t feel safe. However, this doesn’t just apply to physical abuse. There is such a thing as emotional and verbal abuse as well.

In this case, it may be necessary to seek psychiatric services for you and/or your significant other if you want things to last.

Equality

Finally, in healthy relationships, both partners are equal. They share an equal load and have equal say in the relationship.

Distinguishing a healthy vs unhealthy relationship can be as simple as observing a couple’s daily interactions. If one couple constantly talks over the other or makes executive decisions, the relationship lacks equality.

In this case, both people need to sit down and talk about why the relationship is unequal. While one person may need to be less domineering, the other person needs to learn how to speak up for themselves.

Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationship: Which One Are You In?

Now that you know the major differences between a healthy vs unhealthy relationship, you’re better equipped to handle yourself in the dating world. We hope this article helped empower you or helped you recognize potentially bad situations.

But if you want more relationship advice or health tips, we have more to offer. Be sure to check out some of our other articles before you go.