Relationships provide support, fostering personal growth and resilience. They offer companionship, sharing life’s joys and challenges. They nurture a sense of belonging and generate lasting memories. They also teach important skills for communication and compromise, enhancing our ability to be cooperative and understanding. Together, they inspire motivation and goal-setting, bolstering our resolve to overcome obstacles. Relationships are a cornerstone of happiness and a key to living a full life.
Most of us have a picture in our minds of how a relationship should work. The two people finely balance their time spent together with their individual pursuits, each maintaining healthy and fulfilling interests that they value. They argue only when absolutely necessary, and then they agree to let it go. After all, they are both adults and understand that no matter how hard they try to make the other person happy, it is not always going to happen.
While the details of relationships are as varied as the people themselves, there are a few defining characteristics that distinguish them from friendships. The first is that, in a healthy relationship, there is mutual affection. Your partner should be someone who makes you smile, even when they are not around, and they should still elicit butterflies in your stomach from time to time. They are the person that you can count on, who can cheer you up when you are down, and who supports your dreams. In fact, studies show that those with strong social ties live longer than those without.