The 15 Pro Tips for Developing Positive Relationships
Dealing with relationships is a critical thing and you need to approach it carefully. Even small and unnoticeable things can make or break a relationship when it comes to being with someone for developing positive relationships.
After going through multiple relationships in my life, I’ve finally been involved in one that I believe to be positive and long-lasting. For the past six years, I’ve noticed a few things that have helped me develop a lasting relationship.
Now, in this article, I am going to provide some pro tips for the development of positive relationships that are based on this experience. These tips will help you out with developing the relationship you want. Let’s start.
15 Proven Techniques for Establishing Positive Relationships
There are many tips that can help with building and developing a relationship. I’ve discussed some of the major ones below:
1. Keep Realistic Expectations:
The first thing that you need to do in order to sustain a relationship is to keep realistic expectations. It’s normal for a human being to expect certain things from a partner. It could be having more time, being more understandable, etc.
However, the natural thing is that not everyone is capable of providing such things more than a certain limit. It’s completely unnatural for people to do that. So, keep the expectations realistic so that no one gets disappointed by the way another person behaves.
2. Be Flexible and Compromising:
Another tip that is related to human nature and psychology is being flexible and compromising. As I mentioned earlier, not everyone is capable of giving what you need. At certain times in relationship, people have to be flexible or compromise in order to keep things going.
You need to have a compromising nature in order to adapt to every situation the relationship goes through. Whether it is managing free time to spend with loved ones or preferring the partner’s plan for the weekend over yours, flexibility will help develop deeper connections with each other.
3. Be Familiar with Your Nature:
Developing a positive relationship isn’t all about understanding the needs and requirements of the people you spend time with. It’s also about understanding your nature as well.
In many cases, people stay ignorant of their own personalities and traits. As a result, they mess up things without even knowing. So, it is important that you get familiar with yourself completely. For example, if your nature is to become angry a lot, consider ways to cool it down while being with your loved ones in order to have a happy connection.
I had to focus on a few things in order to become familiar with my nature. Some points that can help you out with it include:
- Journaling about the experiences with the partner.
- Understanding the behavior of the partner in times of distress and sadness.
- Reviewing how you deal with other people as compared to your own partner.
- Taking responsibility for everything you do, whether it is good or bad.
4. Have Proper Conversations Daily:
Having proper conversations is another thing that you need to focus on. Couples and people in general communicate all the time but they rarely have meaningful conversations with each other. Having these conversations is a way to understand what the other person is going through.
It helps us know the happy and sad moments they’re experiencing. It is understandable that having proper conversations every day can be a little tough because of busy schedules. Still, you should make an effort to do that.
For example, you can talk with each other at the dinner table or before going to bed. If you’re in a long-distance relationship, try having a call at the end of the day to share things.
5. Be Dependable:
Being dependable is one of the most overlooked traits and tips that can help build a loving relationship with people. Being dependable means that you deliver on what you say and promise. It is about being trustworthy so that people can rely on you whenever they need to.
Being trustworthy makes people around feel safe and secure. It makes them feel that there is someone who’d go to any limit in order to keep their promise. For example, if you promised someone to help him with moving out, deliver on that promise and help them out with their stuff while he’s shifting.
It’s just a simple example of how one should keep his promises no matter how small or insignificant they might look. As a member of a family, a person should be able to take certain responsibility. For example, you can take responsibility for paying the mortgage every month and then complete the said task.
6. Have a Work-Life Balance:
Another important tip that I’m going to discuss here is to have a work-life balance. Focusing on work too much can be a reason for disconnecting from the people you love. Since our lives are getting busier, you might become the victim of overworking if there isn’t a proper work-life balance.
Work-life balance means giving proper and reasonable time to both your professional and personal lives. Set up a proper schedule and make sure your loved ones are getting the proper time that they deserve.
How do I manage my work-life balance?
I manage my work-life balance by focusing on the following things:
- Setting clear boundaries while I’m with my family or at work.
- Creating a proper schedule with dedicated time-spaces for office and home.
- Avoid getting involved in professional tasks while being at home.
- Focusing on my hobby (gardening) in my free weekends.
7. Be an Active Listener:
I’ve mentioned the importance of having a proper conversation already. However, having a conversation isn’t going to help a lot if you’re not an active listener. Practice active listening to make sure you’re truly understanding the point of the other person.
Active listening involves being attentive, both physically and psychologically, while your partner is speaking with you. Make sure that the partner knows you’re listening carefully. It will make them feel good and also help them understand a point properly.
8. Have and Respect Boundaries:
Another pro tip to develop a positive relationship is having proper boundaries. Each person has a private life and being in a relationship doesn’t mean you get to be a part of it. There should be certain boundaries between both in order to have a healthy relationship.
These boundaries could be of any type. For example, your partner may not want you to get involved in his/her professional life. Similarly, you may not want them to get involved in your friend circle. Discuss these boundaries properly with each other clearly. Also, make sure to respect these boundaries and never breach them unnecessarily.
9. Involve Constructive Feedback:
One thing that got me in trouble in my previous relationships was not involving constructive feedback. A healthy relationship occurs when people are ready to help each other to become better persons or do something in a better way.
The best way to do that is by using constructive feedback by asking questions. Feedback is very important for explaining whether or not a person is dealing with a situation the right way.
It could be as simple as complimenting a dress or as big as giving remarks on a professional decision. It is important that you involve constructive feedback in your relationship in order to groom it. However, make sure that the feedback is given in a constructive way and not in the form of criticism.
10. Deal With Conflicts Calmly:
It is impossible to imagine a relationship without conflicts. It is in human nature to have contradictions over things. So, may experience conflicts in your relationship as well. You need to make sure to deal with these conflicts calmly. Being calm during an argument helps both people convey their points of view in a better way.
As a result, each person gets to understand the point properly which helps in solving the conflict. It is also important to understand that not every conflict has a solution. Sometimes, both of you will have to compromise by meeting in the middle to resolve the issue.
11. Be Supportive of Each Other’s Goals:
Each person has a different goal in life. They want to achieve different things and become the best version of themselves in different ways. That’s why, it is extremely important to be supportive of each other’s goals. Being supportive means that you provide support both emotionally and physically.
Try to help out your partner in whatever they like. For example, if your partner likes to paint and become an artist, try and create space for him/her in the house to let him/her practice their art peacefully.
12. Find Common Interests:
So far, in most of the tips, I’ve mentioned that each person has different likes and dislikes. Respecting these things makes a relationship healthy. However, another thing that develops a relationship is having common interests.
You need to find something that both of you like and do it more often. It could be watching movies, playing games, or reading. Finding these things and doing it together will help build a strong connection with each other which will help sustain the relationship in the long term.
13. Introduction to Friend Circles:
Every person in a relationship likes to know about the people their partner spends time with. It makes them feel involved which positively affects the connection between the two. So, it is important to introduce your partner to your friend circle.
For example, arrange a dinner together every now and then or go for a trip every once in a while. It will make your partner feel good and create a positive perception of yours. Besides, you should also try to get involved in your partner’s friend circle every now and then to get to know them better.
14. Have a Positive Attitude:
Having a positive attitude is something that is very useful in almost every area of life. While being with a partner, having a positive attitude creates an overall positive environment. When you respond and deal with every situation in an optimistic way will make everyone around you feel better.
This type of behavior helps with different things such as resolving conflicts efficiently. Besides that, it helps avoid unnecessary stress and drama that might be negative for the relationship.
15. Reflect and Learn:
Last but not least, you need to reflect and learn while being with someone. Reflecting involves overviewing your behavior with the person and the things you’re doing to stay with them.
It involves overviewing whether or not you’re being honest and giving your best to create a positive relationship. If not, learn from the mistakes you’re making. Developing a relationship is a time-consuming process and reflection and learning will help you out with it.
I have mentioned my activity of journaling earlier. It’s been a part of my reflection process as well. Some other tips that could help you out with it include:
- Asking yourself honest questions about the relationship.
- Seeking advice from friends and family whenever you need it.
- Stay open to positive criticism (constructive feedback).
- Be able to admit the mistakes and then try to correct them.
Conclusion:
To sum it up, building and developing a positive relationship requires struggle and dedication. Real life isn’t a romantic movie where everything goes the right way.
You’ll face hardship and challenges throughout the process and the discussed things will help with it. Have a positive attitude and be as much loving as you can. Everything will work out just fine.
FAQs:
The best way to develop a positive relationship is by compromising and having proper conversations. It sorts out most of the issues people have with each other.
Of course. Having boundaries is a great thing to do in a relationship. It encourages privacy which is a good thing while being with someone.
You should try your best to find a solution. However, if you can’t find a solution, try to compromise on a mutually beneficial decision.
The top characteristics of a positive relationship are honesty, trust, respect, and open communication. It is important to involve these things in a relationship in order to make it healthy.
Having issues in a relationship is common. The best way to deal with broken relationships is by communicating the problems each person is having. Then, find solutions that both agree with and try not to get involved in unnecessary conflicts.