Teen Center
Healthy Relationships
Healthy relationships are based on love and equality. They include communication, respect, support, and boundaries.
Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected, and accepted in their relationships.
Communications
Communication is one of the most important parts of a healthy relationship.
In a healthy relationship, people let one another know when they’re in need or when they need space. They are on the same page about what the other wants and expects.
If there is a disagreement or if someone is bothered by something, then they will talk about it openly and arrive at a compromise if necessary. Read more about healthy conflict resolution at loveisrespect.org.
Communication is also very important when making decisions about sex. Be honest – if you’re not ready, that’s okay, and your partner should respect that. Talk about safe sex practices, and communicate openly about your feelings, desires, and concerns.
Respect and Support
Respect and support for one’s partner are vital to a healthy relationship.
Your desire to be in a relationship with someone else should mean that you value their feelings, ideas, wants, and needs.
People in a healthy relationship reassure, comfort, and encourage one another. Your relationship should help your partner achieve their goals and follow their dreams, not stop them from doing so.
Healthy relationships are about building each other up, not putting each other down.
Boundaries
Boundaries are key to healthy relationships.
Boundaries are not about keeping secrets or not trusting one another. Setting healthy boundaries is about building and keeping trust. It’s about being open and communicating your needs and expectations. It’s about being honest and comfortable with what you would like to happen or not happen within your relationship.
Healthy boundaries mean that you or your partner should be able to:
- Hang out with friends without your partner being present.
- Participate in activities and hobbies without your partner.
- Have privacy, like keeping your passwords to yourself.
In fact, healthy boundaries are all about making time for people and activities outside of your relationship and having that be okay.
When you set boundaries in a healthy relationship, you can choose not to text or not be on social media for periods of time without upsetting your partner. You can text and use social media without your partner getting jealous or upset. You can take time and space for yourself without your partner getting angry. All because you both have privacy, trust, and respect for one another.
Healthy Boundaries & Sex
Healthy boundaries also include respecting one another’s comfort level when it comes to sex.
No one should feel pressured to have sex in order to keep their partner happy. In a healthy relationship, partners respect each other’s decisions, even when they want something else or disagree.
Respectful boundaries mean that if something makes you feel uncomfortable, you can say no at any time. No matter how long you’ve been with someone, or even if you’ve done something before, you have the right to say no at any time for any reason. You have control over your body, and no one else has the right to tell you what to do with it.
If your partner repeatedly pressures you – verbally, emotionally, or physically – to have sex or won’t take no for an answer, it can be a sign of an unhealthy relationship. You deserve better.
Helpline Available 24/7
The confidential statewide Helpline can be reached by calling 1-800-494-8100 or using the online chat here. The Helpline is for all victims of violent crime, including domestic and dating abuse, and those looking for more information to help a victim of violence.