Thursday, July 10, 2008

The 3 Stages Of A Healthy Relationship

Though there is no specific science to the development of a relationship since no 2 people are alike, there are certain stages of a healthy relationship. Like a car, a relationship takes work and it has to be maintained if you want it to work properly. However, it doesn't have to feel like work. Pay attention to the stages of a healthy relationship and your relationship will flourish.

The first of the stages of a healthy relationship is trust. Every relationship has to start with openness and honesty. That doesn't mean that you have to spill your guts about every thing at the very beginning, but you both have to be able and willing to communicate openly and honestly. Even if that honesty is that you aren't comfortable talking about that yet.

Trust is the foundation of any and all relationships. Openness and honesty is the start of trust. Trust is the ability to depend on someone all the time, every time, and to know what you can't count on them for. Each of you has to keep your word and do what you say you will do when you say you will do it. Without trust, nothing else matters in a relationship. It is more than just telling the truth and not cheating. It's a sense of dependability. This is the most important of all the stages of a healthy relationship.

The second of the stages of a healthy relationship is communication. How well do you communicate with one another, and how well do you understand each others communication. That includes listening. Communication is more than just saying stuff. It is your ability to clearly communicate your needs, desires, wants, and necessary aspects of the relationship. What is good for one person may not be for the next.

The third of the stages of a healthy relationship is affection. How do you relate to one another. Many people confuse sex with affection, and sex is a part of it, but it is such a small part it is barely noticeable. Affection is how you relate to one another, and the things that are done to show compassion, love, and concern.

Affection could be as small as getting the towel out for your partner when they get a shower. This is a necessary step in the stages of a healthy relationship. The small things show the other person that you care and are thinking of them and that they are important to you. Without affection, a relationship is on a quick path toward failure.

These are just a few cues for the stages of a healthy relationship. There is much more to learn about a healthy relationship if you wish to have one. Just as you would study business strategies to become a ceo of a company, you should study the aspects of a relationship in order to have a healthy relationship.

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