Healthy Relationships

The first thing we need to do is define a healthy relationship. A healthy relationship is one that is built on mutual respect and equity. Have you heard of the Golden Rule? It says to treat others as you would like to be treated. How does this apply to relationships? In healthy relationships, each person treats the other kindly and treats him or her as an equal. Neither person’s opinion is more important than the other.

Besides mutual respect, healthy relationships can consist of many other qualities. Typically, healthy relationships have trust, communication, compromise, support, and clear boundaries. Also, people in healthy relationships should feel open to discuss anything that bothers them, rather than holding it in. What other characteristics can you think of that would show a healthy relationship?