5 Ways To Build Healthy Relationships

Your family, your friends, your significant other... they all deserve to have a good relationship with you. And you will need to work hard to make your relationships with each of them work. Here are five tips for building healthy relationships.

1. Communicate with Them
If you want to keep your relationship with friends or family going well, then you will need to communicate with them. Tell them what is going on with you. Let them know if something is bugging you. Don't hold back, but be as open as possible.

2. Always be Honest
To go along with communication, honesty is a key component to any healthy relationship. You should never lie to your friends. You should never hold something back from your family. Let your loved ones know the truth about everything that is going on in your life, and your relationships will be much healthier.

3. Be Patient and Kind
Building a good relationship takes a lot of work. And you should dedicate yourself to putting as much work into it as possible. Practice patience. Be kind. Try to understand what your friend is going through, and give them time and space if that is what they need, while letting them know that you will always be there for them.

4. Manage your Time
Speaking of always being there for them, you should make the time to visit with your family often. Set up a day each month or week when you take time for them. Do what it takes to get hold of your time and to manage it, so that you can see your family and friends more, even if that means cutting out some time for hobbies.

5. Go Out of Your Way for Them
Actions mean more than words, and you will need to do what you can to show your friends, family, and significant other that you care. Go out of your way for them every chance that you get. Bring them flowers. Shovel a path to their car. The little things mean a lot, and you will show them that you care through every loving action.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken