Once you fall in love and start a committed relationship with your partner, the thought of breaking up one day and going your separate ways can be scary. But shutting your eyes to this distinct possibility and going about your life will not guarantee your relationship will last a lifetime.
What will is a solid foundation of trust and strong compatibility between the two of you. Plus, the two of you need to respect each other enough to even fight maturely. After all, love brings two people together, but it’s badly-handled conflict that pushes them away.
So here are 19 signs that you and your SO have a strong relationship.
Just remember: all relationships are imperfect because the individuals in it are imperfect human beings too. So if you realize your relationship shows most of the positive signs mentioned below and maybe one or two negatives, don’t chalk that up to mean you both will split eventually.
Instead, take it as a gentle reality check from a best friend and find ways to eliminate those negatives. After all, relationships might be imperfect, but they are nevertheless capable of tremendous growth and transformation if the partners are inclined to make it work!
Your Communication Style Is 10/10
It’s no secret that communication is the bedrock of a strong relationship. Why? Because if you can’t convey your wants and needs to your partner or fail to speak up when something he did is bothering you, you will inevitably find yourself disconnected from him.
That’s why couples who have perfectly matched mental frequencies and know how to communicate effectively with each other are the ones who last together a lifetime.
But don’t fret if you aren’t there yet with your partner in terms of communication. It’s a learnable skill if you both put your mind to it!
You Trust Each Other Completely
The second bedrock of a strong relationship is trust. After all, lack of trust breeds insecurities and toxic relationship patterns. And we all know where that leads to eventually.
That’s why couples who trust each other explicitly stay together through thick and thin.
Just remember: trust is developed between two people when both exhibit reliability through their actions, like keeping promises, never showing up late for dates and other activities, safeguarding each other’s secrets, and more. It’s not something you blindly bestow upon someone when their actions scream they are shady.
You Are Affectionate In Private And In Public
If there’s no affection in a relationship, it’s not a relationship at all. But the way you express your affection when it is there matters a lot too.
Whether it’s through random texts in the middle of the day just to say how much you love him to buying her a few roses on your way to a date just because you passed by a flower shop and remembered she loves flowers, couples who have a strong relationship are very expressive about their affection for each other.
Just remember: it’s a red flag if your partner is very lovey-dovey behind closed doors but pretends he doesn’t know you in public or puts a cold distance between the two of you when you are out and about!
You Surprise Each Other With Random Acts Of Kindness
If you say you love each other but are way kinder to strangers and acquaintances than to each other, then you are lying about your affection. It’s because love cannot exist without kindness.
That’s why couples who have a strong relationship are kind to each other along with being passionate, caring, and fun. After all, if you know your partner is struggling with something, how can you not help them out when you know you can?
From taking over all the household chores because the other has too much on their plate at the moment at their workplace to creating a special album for them describing how awesome they are when they are feeling insecure and under confident, acts of kindness can really make a relationship powerful.
Just remember: both partners need to be kind to each other for this to count as a strong relationship.
You Regularly Go On Dates
Dates are fun and an excellent way to get to know someone better. So why stop going on them after you become a committed pair?
In fact, the strongest couples regularly date each other even after they have said I love you and be mine. Trust us, it’s a great way to inject passion into your relationship, come up with creative ways to surprise each other, and also a great way to learn things about the other that you had no idea of.
After all, the longer you are together, the more boring your relationship tends to get because of the burden of daily chores and other routine things that make up 70% of life. So it pays off to take some time out to pamper each other and just have some fun!
You Battle Tough Times As A Team
All efficient workplaces know that the only way you can put a bunch of people together in a room and make them work as a team that looks out for one another only if there are fondness and friendship in the circle of people. The same applies to romantic relationships.
Couples who have a strong relationship are essentially each other’s best friend and so manage to stick it out together when life through lemons and rocks at them. And they do so without a grumble but as a support system for each other.
After all, it’s easier to battle tough times when you know someone has got your back and vice versa.
You Are Each Other’s Biggest Cheerleaders
We al know a couple where one person sacrificed their dreams and goals in life to advance the career and goals of the other and then used it as a guilting tool whenever their partner asked for space or got mad at them.
That’s something you will never see in a strong relationship.
Why? Because such a relationship is strong because both partners are strong individuals of their own right. And so when they come together they both support and cheer each other towards their individual dreams and are incredibly proud (and expressive) when their partner achieves what they set out to achieve.
Wouldn’t you stay together too if you knew your partner was your biggest supporter in all your dreams and endeavors?
You Open Up To Each Other About Your Hopes, Dreams, And Fears
Speaking of big plans, a big sign that you have a strong relationship with your partner is the fact that both of you are comfortable sharing your hopes, dreams, and fears with one another.
This is important because these things are so intrinsic to our core that any slight or unintentional jab can really hurt us deeply. Just think about it. Do you share your dreams with every stranger who happens to pass you by? Of course not! That could open you up to harsh comments or ridicule if the other person is a bigot.
So if you trust your partner enough to open up about your most vulnerable hopes, dreams, and fears, it’s a big sign the two of you will last a lifetime.
You Laugh And Have A Lot Of Fun
Life might not be fun and games most of the time. In fact, it’s mostly washing dirty clothes, doing the dishes, and calculating your expenses. But if you and your partner fall into the rut of routine without anything to lighten up the boring bits, you will soon lose the vital spark of passion necessary for keeping the two of you madly in love with one another.
That’s why couples in a strong relationship always find ways to have fun and laugh together. It could be because their mental compatibility is so good that they find the same things funny, or it could be because both are invested in keeping the energy of their relationship upbeat and happy. Whatever the reason might be, it’s a fact that couples who laugh together stay together.
But You Also Have Separate Lives And Identities
Codependency kills passion, attraction, and eventually, relationships. And the biggest reason why a lot of couples become codependent is because once they get into a committed relationship, they often let their hobbies and friends go just so they can spend every free minute of their day with their partner.
Unfortunately, this kills off the very traits that made them attractive to their partner. That’s why couples in a strong relationship always make sure they have a life outside of their relationship too.
And while it’s foolish to think you can keep doing everything the same way after you get into a relationship (you do have to find time to nurture your relationship, after all), it’s vital for the health of your relationship and your individuality if you also find time to hang out with your friends, engage in the activities that make you happy, and do the things you love to do.
You Are Confident And Casual Around Each Other
Couples who have a strong bond are confident and casual around each other. Here’s why.
First of all, they trust each other completely, and so are not worried that something they do would evoke a ridiculing response from their partner.
Secondly, they are each other’s best friend and so can be casual and lame around each other and still not lose their partner’s affection.
And lastly, they know how much their partner loves them and don’t feel the need to put on any airs around them. Why would they? Love is about honesty and they know their partner loves them, warts and all.
You Always Respond To Each Other’s Texts
Texting is an essential part of our life now. And the best romances of this 21st century utilize this tool to their advantage. And that includes responding to each other’s texts whenever you see them without feeling the need to pretend you are busy.
Why would you do that? You already know you are together and that your partner is invested in your relationship as much as you are!
Another big sign you are in a strong relationship is random surprise texts that express your love for your partner or something you saw that reminded you of them. Trust us, it makes the other person’s heart burst with love when they know you might be apart but still thinking of them.
You Are Each Other’s Best Friend
The strongest relationships are those that have a firm foundation of friendship underneath it all.
Just think about that friend you have been with forever. The two of you have fun, support each other through thick and thin, and are quick to correct one another when you make a mistake that could embarrass you in public. That’s why you are BFFs.
Now imagine that same dynamic but in a non-platonic, romantic relationship. Is it so hard to understand now why the best relationships have a firm foundation of friendship underneath all the passion and romance?
You Are Proud Of Each Other
When you love someone truly, you always have their best interest in your heart. And that includes being proud of them when they do something that makes them stand out as a sparkling example of the best of humanity or when they achieve a significant goal in their life.
In fact, the strongest couples don’t just feel proud and smile, they actively express it to their partner and openly share it with all their friends too if it’s appropriate.
Just remember: in a strong relationship, both partners are proud of the other’s achievements. It’s never one-sided or laced with an undercurrent of jealousy.
You Have Open Discussions About The Future
Couples who don’t include each other in their big plans are definitely headed for a divorce. Why? Because making plans for the future, which includes your partner, is the ultimate litmus test of the strength of your relationship.
Trust us, you can have friendship, trust, and a lot of love between the two of you, but if you don’t discuss the future of your relationship because both of you know that there’s no way you can actually make it work in the long run, you actually don’t have a strong relationship.
After all, the strongest couples know that they will feature prominently in each other’s lives in the future and don’t feel weird about discussing it at all!
You Are Not Afraid To Show Your Adoration For Each Other In Public
Intimacy is another pillar of a strong relationship. It’s what separates a platonic friendship from a romantic relationship. And therefore, those couples who have a strong relationship always find time to express their love for their partner through physical intimacy.
And it’s not just restricted to the fun stuff people engage in behind closed doors. It also includes the little things like sneaking up on your partner when they are at home and playfully kissing them on their neck and hugging them from behind or gently stroking their hair as they rest their head on your lap while you watch a movie together.
But You Make Time For Your Private Life Too
Well, we can talk about intimacy all we like, but if you and your partner aren’t engaged in hanky-panky fun on a regular basis, you can kiss your chances of a lifetime goodbye.
Why? Because these acts of love are the very thing that keeps the spark of attraction between the two of you alive as you go about your otherwise boring lives. (Yes, life is mostly boring bits like throwing out the garbage and doing the laundry).
Just remember: if you eat the same meal every day, you would soon get bored of it and lose your appetite together. So make sure to try new things every now and then just to keep the dynamic exciting and adrenaline-inducing!
You Pay For Each Other Like Family
We pay for the people we consider family. That’s why once we start earning we never calculate how much our sister owes us for the movie or how much our best friend owes us for lunch. We aren’t relying on pocket money to fuel our fun after all!
The same applies to your partner. When you love each tremendously and exhibit most of the above-mentioned signs of a strong relationship, you start treating each other like family sooner or later, even if you are not officially married.
Just remember: this should go both ways, otherwise, you will end up getting taken for a ride by a partner who was in it just so you could pay off their mountain-high debts.
You Introduce Each Other As Your Significant Other
A strong relationship has a firm foundation of love, trust, kindness, and support. And this is evident to everyone who meets the two of you because they can instantaneously see how much you value each other.
How do they do that? Through your body language, of course. And also the way you introduce each other as your significant other and the love of your life.
Believe us, no one’s gonna buy you are in a relationship if you get weirded out when you have to introduce your partner to your friends, family, and acquaintances.
