The number and strength of the relationships you have in your life affect your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. Relationships can be romantic, family based or platonic. Having close friends and other social connections is beneficial to your health, helps to prevent depression, and can even lengthen your life.
Intimate relationships are a combination of physical attraction and emotional ties. Your partner should make you happy when they are around and their presence triggers a positive response in your brain. You should feel butterflies in your stomach when you see them and have a desire to kiss and hug them. While this feeling isn’t always present, it is a key indicator that you are in a healthy relationship.
Trust and loyalty are the foundation of a long-lasting relationship. If you can’t trust your significant other with your life and feelings, you need to reconsider your commitment to them. Loyalty also means that you support them and encourage their unique strengths, instead of trying to change them.
In a strong and healthy relationship, each partner can help each other become the best versions of themselves. This can be through encouraging parts of their personality that may be dormant, such as a shy person coming out of their shell or an extrovert becoming more grounded. It can also be through challenging each other, e.g. if a person is overly focused on work and neglecting themselves, the other partner can challenge them to balance their life better.