A relationship is two people united in a common purpose. In a healthy relationship each person should feel happy and content when spending time with the other person.  The two people should accept each other for who they are, support each other’s lifestyle, friends, and family and most importantly, be in full support of each other’s goals and ambitions. Relationships can be with family members, friends, school or college tutors/teachers, work mates, and romantic partners.

There are five basic types of relationships

Getting the relationships right in all five areas of your Life, will lead to a balanced and fulfilled life of love and happiness.

Types of Relationships

Friendship

Family

Romantic

Professional/Educational

Self

Healthy Relationship Traits

• Have close friends and family who like the other person and are happy about your relationship
• Encourage each other’s interests – like sports and extracurricular activities
• Have equal decision-making power about what you do in your relationship
• Both apologise when you’re wrong
• Both accept responsibility for your actions
• Never feel like you’re being pressured for sex
• Solve conflicts without putting each other down, cursing at each other or making threats
• Respect each other’s opinions, even when they are different
• Support each other’s individual goals in life, like getting a job or going to college
• Trust each other
• Communicate about sex, if your relationship is sexual
• Always feel safe with each other
• Each enjoy spending time separately, with your own friends, as well as with each other’s friends
• Have fun together more often than not
• Always treat each other with respect#

Unhealthy Relationship Traits

• Acting controlling or possessive
• Goes back on promises
• Tries to make the other feel crazy or plays mind games
• Makes all the decisions about what the two of you do
• Tries to keep the other from having a job or furthering his/her education
• Smashes, throws or destroys things
• Uses alcohol or drugs as an excuse for hurtful behaviour
• Embarrasses or humiliates the other
• Has ever threatened to hurt the other or commit suicide if they leave
• Pressures the other for sex, or makes sex hurt or feel humiliating
• Frequently criticizes the other’s friends or family
• Yells at and treats the other like a child
• Puts the other down by calling names, cursing or making the other feel bad about him or herself
• Have some privacy – your texts, diary, personal phone calls are respected as your own
• Has ever grabbed, pushed, hit, or physically hurt the other
• Tells the other how to dress
• Gets extremely jealous or accuses the other of cheating

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