Everybody has a different definition as to what makes a relationship a healthy one.

Recently, I asked a few readers what makes a healthy relationship. Here are some of their responses:

Being open through good communication:

• Being open and honest with one another is the key to any good relationship.
• It helps to avoid conflict and lets your partner know what is running through your mind at that exact moment.
• It also stops you from going to bed angry and sorting out the conflict well before it becomes too big to sort out.
• Too many people break up because of bad communication. Telling friends isn’t going to fix the conflict with your partner because the conflict lies within him/her.
• Complimenting your partner and telling him/her about it shows that you appreciate him/her. Not all serious talks have to happen when a fight breaks out between the two of you. Communication is key, during every part and every aspect of the relationship.

Being there:

• Being able to lean on one another during tough times as well as the good times is vital for a healthy relationship. It is all about bettering one another and not putting each other down but rather building each other up.

Loyalty, trust and honesty:

• Without this, your relationship is doomed. Being loyal to a partner or having a loyal partner, being trustworthy and trusting your partner and being honest with one another leads to a well-rounded relationship where mistrust, dishonesty and being disloyal isn’t part of your vocabulary.
• If your partner goes out, you aren’t worrying about whom he/she is with and what he/she is doing. If he/she shows there is nothing to worry about, then it is a healthy balance in the relationship.

Sex:

• A healthy sex life leads to a healthy relationship. It is by no means everything in a relationship but it helps to be physical with your partner and helps in communicating through a different way.
• Treat sex as it should be in a relationship. It should be fun, it should be goofy and it should be awesome. It should not be the center.

No matter what, be who you are meant to be and once you find a healthy relationship, it will be the best thing ever.

Chantal Richards can be reached at [email protected].