healthy relationships

Humans are social beings and our interactions with others affect us incredibly. Especially in developing teenage years, the right relationships are vital and human connection can be what keeps us sane as everything around us is changing. From our core families to friendships, to potential romantic relationships, there are specific things to always remember when forming or pursuing relationships. We have to consider respect, care, communication, honesty, trust, and acceptance. People who make us feel bad, make us feel bad. It’s as easy as that. We should always communicate our wants and needs and make the wants and needs of the other side an important consideration as well. We can’t expect what we don’t give, and we shouldn’t give what we won’t receive. When all else fails, the core of any relationship between two people must be made out of respect. Mutual understanding, acceptance, and support are incredibly important when binding two people. We should pursue relationships with people who listen to us and value our struggles. However, we should also always provide care, honesty, and trust from our side as well. In a relationship, two people can come from different backgrounds, with different morals, traumas, experiences, opinions, and values. The primary bridge between two individuals who want to form a connection should be unconditional respect. If one had a bad day, the other should comfort them. If one has trouble communicating, the other should be patient and help out. If one is in need of emotional care, the other should be willing to provide it. Forming healthy relationships can be hard for some of us, and for those of us, it is important to look out for common red flags such as ignorance, victimization, dishonesty, constant blaming, one-sidedness, or even abuse. If we find ourselves in such relationships it's important to step back, analyze our choices, and distance ourselves from such a person. However, in some cases, distancing is difficult - like in a family situation. In this case, it is important to acknowledge the problem and possibly look at solutions such as a relationship with other trusted adults or therapy. It is vital to keep in mind that the toxic people around us are struggling with their problems, and the things they can do to us aren’t our fault or responsibility. All we can do is try to form good relationships, and stand our ground in those we can’t escape.