A healthy partnership demands two people who come together and put in equal amount of effort to create a safe space for sharing and understanding of emotions. “Secure relationships aren’t born… They are built through minimizing threat and meeting needs in each other (and in ourselves),” wrote Relationship Specialist Rose Viggiano. To build a secure and happy relationship, people should learn to embrace the imperfections and eccentricities in their partners and find common grounds to keep them healthy and happy. It is also important to know our own needs and ensure to communicate the same to the other person, so as to leave no room for misunderstandings.
Building a secure functioning partnership takes a lot of work. Here are a few ways to build it:
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Willing to share important information: When we keep important information away from the partner, especially the ones that directly impact them, it can lead to dishonesty and conflict in the partnership. We should willingly disclose important information to the other person.
Practice being in the present: Instead of dwelling on past mistakes, conflicts and misunderstandings, it is important to live in the present, invest time in creating happy memories and appreciating the presence of each other.
Allow time to work through issues: While some issues in the relationship are meant to be addressed immediately, for some issues it is important to provide time to let things cool down. We should not jump to conclusions right away and instead give time to work through some issues in the relationship.
Have a life outside the partnership: It is extremely important to have a life outside the relationship. It is equally important to have individual friends, hobbies and a circle outside the relationship. That helps in keeping ourselves independent.
Allow for differences of thought: We should understand that our partners can have different perspectives and opinions. We should allow that and embrace the differences.
