How do you make a relationship work?
I've never been in a relationship.
The farthest I've ever been with a guy is an exchange of I-love-you's but that's all to it, no commitment. I was just wondering, how do couples make a relationship work? What do you need to do to keep it going and alive despite spending a lot of time with one another? What do you do when you somehow found out that person you're together with wasn't the exact same one you first fell in love with?
@xAlwaysHerex
Just like you need two hands to 'clap', you need two persons to build a relationship.
Now coming to your question 'How do you make a relationship work ? or how do couples make a relationship work ?'
Relationships are just like flowers in the garden, it needs to be constantly nurtured, in order to strengthen over time thereby becoming a strong bond, else it will just fade away over time.
What can you do to make the relationships be more meaningful
1. Love and accept each other unconditionally for who we are.
2. Make sure to spend some quality time everyday knowing each other more.
3. Stand up for each other in times of distress without playing 'Blame game'.
4. Respect each others privacy.
5. Last listen and respect to your partner's decision, even if it against your morals/beliefs/values.
What do you do when you somehow found out that person you're together with wasn't the exact same one you first fell in love with?
I would still love the person for who he/she is, as I didn't fell in love with him/her based on a condition/criteria.
@airreeekuh I think that people are complex from all angles. People can change and grow and sometimes over the course of a relationship we are able to see a person reveal who they truly are - sometimes you can even find out who you really are by seeing how you define yourself over the course of a relationship. I think that once you find someone you can connect with and understand that loyalty, respect and trust are very important. If you can trust that person and if that person respects you - then I think it's a good start to build a relationship from. Communication is also a huge one - you and your partner need to be able to communicate how one another is feeling, when something is bothering one of you and hopefully you and your partner are able to solve problems and conflicts and differences by communicating with respect and leaving the other's dignity in tact. Reciprocation is also a big one. I think to make a relationship work there has to be some form of reciprocation and appreciation - if you do something nice, your partner should at least acknowledge and show appreciation for your efforts and try to reciprocate them (not necessarily in the same way, but in the way they express how they feel about you (and vice versa). Those are all important aspects to me for making a relationship work. All in all, I think before trying to build a relationship you and your partner of choice need to be on the same page about where the relationship is heading and both of your expectations for the relationship need to be set. If you both have a mutual understanding and both want to go forward, then by all means trust, respect and communication are pretty important (to me). Hope this helps!
I think the most important thing is giving space to each other, communication and honesty. Sometimes when fighting or anything, tell them how you feel otherwise they won't know, you cant expect them to understand and that you have to be honest as well. If you're going out with friends and he asks who, just tell him who, there's no need to lie to the other person. I think those are the main ones.