Where is Your Relationship Headed? What’s your love ratio?
Let’s begin with a simple checklist for a healthy relationship. How many of these exist in your love life?
- acceptance
- empathy
- respect
- honesty
- compassion
- compatibility
- trust
- understanding
- vulnerability
- safety
- consideration
- compromise
- communication
- shared vision and values
- passion
- play
Yes, life gets in the way sometimes. Take time out to nurture your love. There are evidence based ways to build healthy, lasting relationships. Here are a few of them….
Dream together. Create personal rituals of connection. Honor each other. Speak AND listen. Ask open ended questions. Be curious. Remain calm during disagreement & conflict. Own your feelings. Take responsibility when it’s yours. Take steps to deepen your friendship and intimacy. Validate each other.
Watch out for the pitfalls that ruin relationships. If any these sound familiar, it’s time to make adjustments.
- blame
- criticism
- belittling
- stonewalling
- contempt
- defensiveness
- withholding
- avoidance
- violence
Don’t fret. It’s not too late. As long as both parties are committed to make changes that benefit themselves, each other, and the relationship, it can work out! When you share a dream of better days ahead together, you can strengthen, rebuild, and rediscover your love.
Don’t wait. Time is of the essence. If you’re curious about how sustainable your relationship is, here’s an easy tally of it’s health… According to John Gottman, healthy relationships have 5 positive interactions to every 1 negative one. He refers to it as the 5 to 1 Ratio. It’s scientifically predicted whether or not relationships last. What is your ratio?
If the scales are tipped on the negative side and you want to turn it around, practice positivity toward your partner. Refer to the first list in this blog and put those into action. If you need professional help, seek it out.
“Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. ‘After all this time?’. ‘Always,’ said Snape.” -J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
photo of couple courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net by Sarge Bertasius Photography
