“Love” is not everything in a relationship

When talking about fundamental factors for building a healthy relationship, the first word that comes to mind for most people is “love”. This concept, as necessary as it is abstract, has been portrayed by human beings since the beginning of the world, but would they be solely responsible for keeping a couple together and happily ever after?

Everyone who has been in a real relationship will agree that love alone is not enough: love relationships need to be based on other factors to ensure their survival. We list four factors that, added to love, help you maintain a healthy relationship.

Mutual respect

Perhaps respect is even more important than love for a couple to stay together. You need to put yourself in the other’s shoes each time you make a decision, evaluating how that situation affects your partner and trying to understand your side.

A relationship based on mutual respect has a great chance of working because both respect each other’s space, always valuing the couple’s well-being at the expense of personal interests. Although this state of perfection and reciprocity is not maintained 100% of the time, observing your own attitudes so that it is predominant compared to moments of selfishness can make a difference in the final result.

Confidence

Consequence of a relationship based on truth and respect for each other, trust must be the couple’s priority. That’s because any kind of damage suffered by her, however small, could be fatal to the relationship.

Trusting your partner is essential so that the relationship does not wear out over time. When there is no trust, any misstep is cause for disagreement, as one side simply doesn’t believe what the other says. How, then, can peace be maintained if each partner’s assertion is questioned and often even investigated? The answer is as true as it is cruel: there is no possibility; either trust is restored, or the relationship is doomed to failure.

Admiration

It doesn’t matter if it’s physical appearance, intelligence, effort or professional competence, you need to admire your partner and that feeling needs to be reciprocated. Admiration is present when one recognizes in the other specific qualities and talents, in addition to the importance of these items in the daily life of the relationship.

According to psychologist Milena Lhano, “Looking at your partner and feeling proud of their achievements, characteristics, way of dressing, way of solving problems, etc. It’s one of the ways to keep the relationship going.”

Identification

For a relationship to work, it is essential that both of you have similar life goals and similar projects for the future, always thinking together. It’s easy to understand why: if one wants to change cities while the other wants to stay where he is and no one gives in, the relationship is likely to suffer the consequences of disagreement.

It is, therefore, essential that the couple is aligned on their projects, in addition to identifying common tastes and interests. The maxim that “opposites attract” is only valid for the beginning of the relationship; over time the similarities of values ​​and thoughts are, yes, decisive.