Maintaining A Strong Relationship

By Margarita Nahapetyan

Every relationship is unique, complex and multi-dimensional, and every person has his own way of understanding and feeling if a relationship is or is not right for him. Most of us want to fall in love, be in love and stay in love forever. We want just to put ourselves to the hands of the loved one in the hope that the relationship will provide all our happiness. We even think that our partner is supposed to know exactly what, when and how to provide this happiness. But good relationships do not happen out of nowhere, automatically, and are based on caring and giving rather then by a need. We all must be prepared to give to the other and not just concentrate on what it is that we need and what is important only for us.

The beauty and essence of a good relationship is when you feel completely comfortable with the other part. A relationship can be a great way to have fun and create a special bond, as well as learn a lot about yourself and the one you care for. Good relationship makes you laugh, it makes you feel safe and supported, and what is most important - very happy.

Maintaining a good and strong relationship requires a lot of effort, sincerity and dedication. It also requires understanding and a capacity to forgive. It is important to remember, that even when a relationship is going well and smooth, it should never be taken for granted and still, a lot of effort is required to be put into in order to keep it. This way, there is a better chance for any kind of relationship to become strong and healthy.

The fundamental thing in maintaining a good relationship is the ability of partners to listen. When we are able to listen to another person, we are given a chance to understand deeper his thoughts, and the other person, in its turn feels that he is worthy of being listened to. Trust increases the value of any relationship. Learning to trust someone and being honest with them may take some time. The more time is being spent together and more experiences are being shared together, the level of trust will eventually increase. It takes a long time to build a normal relationship, but it can be destroyed in a second if betrayal takes place. Trust sanctifies a relationship and the break of it often leads to a break-up.

Communication is the key to maintaining a healthy and strong relationship. It is important from the very beginning to talk to each other, to nurture each other and give each other support. It is a good idea to keep the lines of communication open. This means talking on a regular basis about everyday happenings in life, share opinions, thoughts and feelings. When this happens, people start understanding each other much better and get to know of each other's likes and dislikes.

Having a healthy relationship does not mean that partners never argue or disagree about anything. We all have our ups and downs, and conflicts occur at some point in all relationships. It is impossible to imagine, that two unique individuals who became closer and started sharing time with each other, and sometimes living under the same roof, would never disagree on some subject, whether it is about tastes in food, movies, clothing, or just about visiting or not visiting friends in the weekend. Sometimes it can be difficult to manage these arguments. Therefore, it is important that people learn how to deal with differences and conflicts, no matter large or small. It is important to stay calm and honest about how you feel and what you need. The appropriate thing would be also to discuss in a friendly manner anything that bothers both sides, and just simply agree to disagree. This is a right thing to do as the goal of a healthy relationship is not to copy each other, but that both partners can feel good about who they are. The more people talk about their problems, the easier it will become to solve them. It is essential to realize that learning about how to work things out together is a key to a successful relationship. When you respect someone else's tastes, opinions and choices, you can always excpect that they will respect yours in return.

It is also very important not to try to change your partner. To be in a relationship where one just lives with a hope that another one will change is unhealthy for both. You will just get disappointed waiting for him/her to change, while the other one will get upset not being accepted for who he/she is.

Spending time together is important for getting to know each other better and it can also be lots of fun. Giving each other space and freedom from time to time is another significant moment. It is not good to interfere in what they do, or try to restrict them to certain limits. Also, people hate to be doubted. As soon as it happens, any relationship can go down in an instant. Just think that doubting another half is equal to doubting yourself. Freedom is the most valuable aspect in any relationship, and if you give it to your partner, they will respect and love you even more.

The value of a really good relationship is priceless, and when it comes to you, embrace it, nurture it, savor it and try to maintain by all possible means. And if you try to follow the suggestions given above, then no force can split you and your partner ever, and you will be the best example for many other couples on how to lead a beautiful life.