Everyone wants the perfect relationship, but not everyone knows how to achieve that. Being truly happy with your partner in a strong, healthy relationship takes a lot of work and patience. Despite the effort that it takes, in the end, it will be worth it.
Finding the best way to approach your relationship may seem like a huge mystery, but once you understand it, you’ll see how simple it really is. Here’s the secret behind maintaining a healthy relationship.
The Two Types Of Relationships
It will come as no surprise that the two main kinds of couples out there can be classed as either “healthy” or “unhealthy.” However, labeling them is the easy part. It’s understanding the behavior behind them that’s a little bit trickier.
Unhealthy couples are easier to understand than healthy ones. They simply don’t treat each other well the majority of the time and do things that sabotage their relationship. As well as that, they don’t handle conflict in the relationship well. On the other hand, there are different types of healthy couples which all handle conflict in positive ways.
Healthy Couples
The defining factor of healthy couples is the way that they handle conflict. Some of them like to express their emotions freely and work together to find a solution that suits them both. Others like to have everything out in the open and do their best to persuade their partner to be on their side, however, they don’t do so aggressively. Lastly, there are couples who prefer to downplay their conflicts and focus on the more positive aspects of their relationship.
It doesn’t matter which way a couple chooses to handle problems in their relationship. As long as they can solve their problems effectively, they’ll be fine. Being able to handle the difficulties that arise is fundamental to being happy together. When a couple can’t solve their conflicts in a way that suits them both, their relationship can turn sour quickly.
The Worst Way To Handle Conflict
Each couple needs to find their own way to resolve their difficulties. However, some behaviors will just never work. Being overly-defensive or overly-critical of your partner will only cause more problems. As well as that, behaving as if you’re better than them is also detrimental.
One of the worst things that you can do when trying to resolve conflict is to emotionally withdraw from the conversation. Doing so will only cause your partner to feel like you don’t care.
The Secret To Keeping Your Relationship Strong
There’s one particular method that’s guaranteed to keep a relationship healthy and happy for the people in it. It’s known as the five to one ratio and it’s exactly what it sounds like. You’ll need to have five positive behaviors for every one negative behavior. Although people often expect to have no negative behaviors in their relationship, that’s simply not possible. So, keeping them to a minimum is far more effective.
There should only be one act of something like anger, complaining, sadness, or stress for every five positive acts. Those are things such as laughing together, showing interest in one another, happiness, and affection. It may seem easy, but it’s something that many couples overlook.
Keeping your relationship healthy is a lot simpler than many people think it is. By resolving conflict in a positive way and following the five to one ratio, you’re sure to have a happy, long-lasting relationship that’s full of love. If following these rules seems impossible, you may need to stop and consider if you’re really with the right person for you.
Share this article with your friends and family to teach them the secret to maintaining a healthy relationship.
