Trust And Respect Are The Key To A Healthy Relationship
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Trust and Respect go hand in hand in a relationship. If you respect someone, it is easy to trust him or her, and if you trust someone it means that you respect him or her as well. Respect is a precursor to trust, it has to come first. Trust is earned after there is already some level of respect there.
RESPECT
When you respect someone, you hold him or her in high esteem.
Listening to your partner and trying to understand their perspective is a key way to show respect in your relationship.
It’s OK to disagree. Don’t try to persuade them to change their mind about things that are important to them. In a healthy relationship, both partners will have mutual respect for one another. Just because you don’t always see eye to eye, it doesn’t mean that one person needs to change their mind in order for your relationship to work. You can disagree with someone and still respect his or her opinion. Part of what makes relationships awesome is the differences!
Boundaries. Another key way to establish respect in a relationship is to be considerate of your partner’s privacy and boundaries. You are not entitled to know everything that your partner does and everyone who they interact with. We all have personal boundaries on what makes us feel good, comfortable, safe, etc. In a healthy relationship, you should feel 100% comfortable communicating those boundaries and know that they will be respected (and vice versa for your partner).
Safeguard your partner’s feelings. It also means being mindful of your partner’s feelings and not doing things that might really hurt them, like keeping things that are supposed to be private just between you two.
TRUST
When you trust someone, you believe him or her to be a person of high character that will do things that are in your best interest.
Trust is an important component of any healthy relationship. If your relationship lacks trust, it's hard to get close to the other person and rely on him or her for support. Trust does not happen automatically. It is created gradually, over time and across a series of interactions.
Safety. When you trust someone, you believe him or her to be reliable, you feel safe around him or her both physically and emotionally.
Sharing. It’s easy to share both your dreams and disappointments with someone you trust.
Dependability. You know they will be there for you, without judgment.
Showing trust and respect may sound complicated, but it’s really not. It all comes down to doing what you say you are going to do, listening to your partner, and being kind to them.
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