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Five must haves for a healthy relationship

Marriage Advice
 A healthy relationship is one where there is mutual respect between both partners (Photo: Shutterstock)

Good relationships do not just happen. It takes two mature and levelheaded people to make it work because the truth is, marriage and relationships are hard. You must put in work.

The term ‘healthy relationship’ does not particularly have a specific definition because healthy could mean a number of things to different people. 

A healthy relationship is one where both partners are able to talk freely and there is mutual respect between both partners. Once roles and expectations are laid out it becomes easy to have a good working relationship. 

To determine whether your relationship is on the right track here are some key elements it needs to have.

Communication

While communication is a very important factor in all relationships, it is important that this communication is open. By open this basically means that you and your partner are able to have civil conversations without starting a fight, each other’s opinions are valid and you do not hide information from each other, whether good or bad.

 You and your partner are able to have civil conversations without starting a fight (Photo: Shutterstock)

Affirmation

Affirmation is very important in all kinds of relationships be it between a parent and their child, a teacher and their student, and in this case between romantic partners. 

By affirming your partner, you are assuring them of the value that they add in your individual life and that you recognize all the effort they put and sacrifices they make towards making the relationship a success. 

This goes a long way as your partner will always feel appreciated and it helps get rid of doubt where it was present at some point in the relationship.

Compromise

You know you are in a healthy relationship when you and your partner are willing to make certain exceptions when it comes to tough decisions that need to be made. 

It could be moving to another city or country; it could be quitting your job and that means your significant other may have to take up more responsibilities as the other partner settles down in a new job or after starting a new business. 

More often than not, compromise is tested when there are hard decisions that need to be made and are not entirely favorable for both parties.

  You and your partner should be willing to make certain exceptions when it comes to tough decisions (Photo: Shutterstock)

Forgiveness and understanding

Understanding is key in any romantic relationship as people are bound to clash here and there and without this virtue, it is easy for things to go south. 

It is important to remember that human beings are flawed and they are bound to make mistakes sometimes. 

Forgiveness comes in handy because once a fight has been resolved it is important for both parties and the partner on the wrong not to feel like they will always be reminded of how they went wrong. 

Issues of the past should remain in the past. Remember being fair is paramount in any relationship and how fast you forgive your partner after they’ve made a mistake should be reasonable because it could be you on the wrong end the next time. 

Vulnerability

This is a complex word describing what couples refer to as being ‘open and naked’ with each other. As long as you are in a healthy relationship, both parties should feel comfortable enough to open up on issues they are facing regardless of their nature.

Both should strive to see how those issues can be solved. It is fine to have a mental or emotional meltdown in front of your significant other and not having to feel embarrassed or sorry about anything. 

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