Education & Training for Healthy Relationships

Healthy Relationships Are....

Calm

• No acts of violence (physical, verbal, emotional, academic)

• Feelings of hope and commitment for the relationship

• A sense of security for the future

• The ability to grow emotionally as an individual.

Tension Builds

• Feelings include disappointment, frustration, etc. 

• Questioning your partner's response to a decision 

• Questioning your partner’s words and or actions

• Including frustration from other areas of life (work, finance, etc.)

• Saying things you will regret later

Communication

• Compromise doesn't mean surrender

• If you wouldn't lie to your best friend, teammate, etc. Why lie to your partner?

• Avoid being accusatory

• Avoid developing a memory bank of previous behavior and experiences without expressing your feelings at the time. The quicker you talk disagreements out, the more likely they won't occur

Reconciliation

• An apology is not a sign of weakness. It is also should not be used as a method of quickly  putting things  in the  past 

• Avoid telling your partner what they want to hear. It's a benign way of lying

• Develop a memory of how the disagreement/situation emotionally affected you and your partner 

• Remember why you considered them in the first place – why you wanted them in your life