Relationship goals…
Who doesn’t have any?
Everyone dreams of a happily ever after, but it seems that long-lasting relationships are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Contrary to the common misconception, ideal relationships do exist. However, a happy and reliable relationship doesn’t come on a silver platter. You need serious work and a positive approach towards life. While having mutual respect, understanding, and support are keys to a long-term relationship, focusing on your sexual health is equally important as it fulfils the physical aspect of a relationship.
If you’re single and want to have a stable relationship, or if you’re committed and want to make your relationship last long, then you’re at the right place! This article focuses on the top 7 qualities found in all long-lasting relationships that will give you a better insight and help you strengthen your bond with your significant other.
1. Trusting each other
Trust is the foundation that determines the strength of a relationship. Long-lasting couples have a strong level of trust for each other. They confide their fears, anxieties, and weaknesses to their partner/spouse. According to Caroline Madden, a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of “After A Good Man Cheats: How to Rebuild Trust & Intimacy with Your Wife”, trust is the most significant aspect of a marriage.
You trust your spouse with so many things, including your fears, insecurities, and childhood traumas. Madden explains that in a happy marriage, couples confide each other with their deepest thoughts and never use them against one another in future arguments.
2. Being honest
Honesty is the basis of trust in a relationship. It helps you gain your partner’s trust and respect. When asked during a survey, all successful couples admitted to being honest with each other.
Relationship and well-being coach, Shula Melamed, emphasizes the significance of honesty in a relationship by stating that our partner acts as an anchor in our life. We rely on them for support and comfort during the darkest moments of our lives and trust them with our feelings, vulnerabilities, and thoughts.
Honesty also helps to develop healthy communication with your significant other. Happy couples share their concerns openly and focus on being honest with each other, which is what having a genuine connection really means.
3. Having understanding
People who are attentive to their partner’s concerns develop a solid and healthy bond. Understanding between two individuals prevents misunderstandings that may lead to serious fights. It also helps to resolve any conflict or tension with a healthier approach. Psychotherapist M. Gary Neuman compares an understanding couple to a team.
He advises couples to have long and heartfelt discussions regularly and to go on a date every week. Neuman assures his audience that if you attentively listen to your partner and try your best to understand them, your relationship won’t be just extremely rewarding, it’ll be worth every single minute of that effort as well.
4. Being intimate
Successful couples are known to be emotionally available and frequently show affection to their partners. In addition, they are physically and emotionally invested in the relationship, which increases love and care for each other. According to marriage and family therapist, Laura Heck, “Sexual and emotional intimacy is the bright shiny star of relationships.”
Apart from being in love, these couples also pay attention to their partner’s sexual wellness, which is crucial for an active, healthy, and fruitful sexual experience.
5. Sharing mutual respect
Respecting each other helps build a happy and healthy relationship. Successfully committed individuals respect their significant other’s beliefs, ideas, boundaries and decisions.
Having common respect helps couples through thick and thin, which strengthens their bond and makes it long-lasting. Elisabeth J. LaMotte, a psychotherapist and founder of the D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center, says that self-respect makes you feel secure and satisfied with yourself, so it’s understandable that having a high sense of appreciation and respect for your partner is an “essential ingredient” in a long-term relationship, either in good or bad times.
6. Sense of humour
Humour is probably the most underestimated aspect of a relationship because people consider it to have zero significance in romance. When in reality, lively couples with humour and playfulness form the most robust relationships.
According to Ryan Howes, a psychologist, the most successful couples can laugh at themselves. Laughter helps them to convey their desire in a playful manner without upsetting their partner. Howes explains that if we’re able to laugh at ourselves rather than being ciritical and judgmental, our life can become delightful and entertaining instead of a constant struggle.
Humour also brings excitement and optimism, which help couples during the worst moments in their relationship.
7. Being in love
Love is a common trait shared by all long-term relationships. Loving couples have a deep understanding of what true love means. It means to cherish and honour your spouse. Becky Whetstone, a marriage and family therapist, expresses love as an act of physical affection, words of assurance, quality time, assistance, and presents.
Additionally, couples who value their spouses and are fond of each other make a healthy and loving family. They are able to create a nourishing environment ideal for their present or future kids.
