While we all should be able to be on our own, there’s no denying that people in a secure, loving relationship can reap the positive effects. Mental health has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds lately and for a good reason. Your mental health has a direct correlation to your physical health and vice versa.
Being in a healthy relationship can have a positive effect on your mental health in several ways.
Happiness creates happiness
When your relationship is filled with positivity, that happiness will have no choice but to bleed into other areas of your life. We’re not saying you need to be in a relationship to be happy. Everyone knows that you must love yourself before finding love. But, when you are coupled up with a strong partner, happiness is inevitable.
There’s something about having another person that you trust completely. Sure, our families and friends are trustworthy. But a life partner gets to know you in an intimate way that no other person does. Once you see the signs he loves you, you’ll feel a connection, and the bond is formed.
Constant support
Like trust, support in our lives is essential. It’s challenging to navigate this world completely alone. People who aren’t in a relationship lean on friends and family, which are great support systems. When you share your daily life with another person, they’re there for them every day. So, if you struggle from doubts, they’re right there to encourage you.
It’s worth mentioning that relationships are not a necessity for life survival. But, when you have a healthy partner right in your home, they’ll cheer you on. Did you have a stressful day? It’s nice to have someone to talk to when you get home – trying to incorporate more exercise in your life? A partner can join you to make it an easier task.
Promotes healthy customs
Habits take a short time to form, but healthy ones can lead to a lifetime of good health. Creating healthy habits on your own can prove to be difficult for some. When you have a partner right in your face, you can support each other to make good decisions.
Do you want to eat more dark, leafy greens? Implementing them into your diet is easier when you’re watching out for the health of the one you love. Also, when you watch others live a happy, healthy life, you’re more likely to adopt those behaviors.
Support and aid with treatment
Our mental health is essential to our overall well-being. When we suffer from anxiety or depression, our physical health can suffer, and our work and personal lives. Millions of people around the globe seek support when dealing with adverse mental health in the form of therapy.
Whether through religion or a licensed practitioner, therapy is a great way to heal any issues. When it’s paired with a solid supportive partner at home, the benefits are enormous. Of course, you can heal through therapy, even if you live alone. Good partners enhance the treatment. They aren’t a necessity for healing.
Helps build confidence
While the thought is never true, many people think they aren’t worthy of love because they’re having trouble finding a partner. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Everyone is deserving of a healthy, loving relationship, and we implore you not to settle for anything less.
That said, when you find that partner, who’s supportive and trustworthy, you’ll find that your self-confidence will rise. There is something about knowing another person in this world loves and accepts you for everything you are. It’s easier to accept your flaws.
That said, everyone has flaws, and accepting ourselves despite them isn’t easy. But you can do it with or without a partner.
Human contact heals
Have you ever come home from having a bad day and needed a hug? You didn’t want to talk about it. You just wanted to let someone hold you until you felt better. When you snuggle up to the person you love, all is right in the world. It doesn’t matter if your boss yelled at you, if you forgot to pay a bill, or if you got a parking ticket.
Connecting with humans on a physical level, like hugging, is essential to our mental health. There are volunteers in children’s hospitals who do nothing but hold babies. They do this because they know that contact is critical for their development. When you feel the warm touch of your partner, you know everything will be okay.
The relationship must be healthy
These six benefits are only possible if you’re in a relationship that could be defined as ‘healthy’. While relationships come in many shapes, sizes, colours, ages, and genders, a few things are required for any of them to be deemed ‘healthy’.
- Trust. Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Without it, there will always be doubt and fear. If you can’t trust the person you’re with, you won’t find your relationship helpful in any way we mentioned above. If the trust is gone in your relationship, you should examine why and work on that first.
- Love. You may be surprised to learn people stay in relationships with people they don’t love. They do so for convenience or out of fear. If there is no love in your relationship, you should find out why you stick around.
- Respectful. If you’re in a relationship with someone who doesn’t show you any respect, you are in an unhealthy relationship. Signs that you are being disrespected include abuse of any kind, including verbal, emotional, physical, sexual, and mental. Other ways to be disrespected include infidelity, a lack of value, breaching boundaries. If you feel you’re being disrespected, you should examine the reasons why you put up with being treated poorly.
Takeaway
We all want to be in happy, healthy relationships. When we find them, the beauty we already have in our lives becomes multiplied. Sharing your life with someone is a gift, which is why you should be sure it’s someone worthy because they will be reaping all the same benefits from the coupling as you.
Alicia Saville did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in mental health and well-being.
