Relationships are the different ways that people connect with each other. They include romantic relationships (such as marriage or a civil union) but can also include friendships, platonic relationships and other types of connection that are not romantic. People often use identifiers like boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or partner to signify their relationship status.
Relationships can be short-term, such as a summer fling, or long-term, such as a marriage or a civil union. In a relationship, you make a commitment to another person that you will continue to spend time with them and develop your bond with them. In a romantic relationship, this may lead to love.
In a healthy relationship, your partner should bring out the best in you and be supportive of your dreams. Having someone cheer you on and provide a soft place to fall back onto can help reduce anxiety in the face of risk-taking, even for people who tend to be anxious by nature.
A relationship should be based on mutual respect and trust. You should be able to talk openly about anything that is important to you in the relationship. You should be able to express your feelings for your partner and they should do the same for you. You should respect your partner’s friends, even if you don’t particularly care for them.
A healthy relationship should spark excitement and a desire to spend more time together. You should be able to go on adventures together and enjoy the little things, like laughing at jokes they tell you. You should be able to look at your partner and feel that feeling of butterflies in your stomach.