What Are the Signs of a Healthy Relationship?

Healthy Signs to Look For

How do you know if you are in a healthy relationship or not? Some healthy signs include: open communication, quality time together, shared values, mutual respect, realistic expectations, ongoing support, a strong sense of trust, making shared decisions, feeling safe, accepting each other, having fun, healthy boundaries, mutual affection, enjoying spending time apart, respectful disagreements, and inspiring each other to be better.

Keep in mind that some healthy relationships can have “bad” moments, and some unhealthy relationships will have “good” moments too. Look at your overall relationship, and ask yourself:

• Can you be yourself?
• Are you happy?
• If you feel uncomfortable, can you speak up without fear of being punished?

Healthy Relationships Have Healthy Boundaries

When communicating with your partner, it’s important to talk about boundaries — things you aren’t comfortable with. Remember that boundaries are limits that you set for yourself, not the other person. A good boundary would be that you aren’t going to go home with someone on the first date. Telling your partner they can’t have friends of a certain gender is not a boundary — that’s controlling behavior.

It’s totally okay to have feelings of jealousy or insecurity, but how you act on those feelings matters. Those feelings are just feelings — they will pass or can be communicated and met with reassurance. It’s not okay to dictate what your partner gets to do because of how you feel.

Remember to check in with yourself to make sure you feel confident that your relationship is a positive one and that you feel comfortable communicating with your partner.