"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye." There are many elements on keeping a healthy relationship. Having a healthy relationship is very important. The key elements I will talk about are trust, friendship, respect, and communication. I feel there are more but these three are important to me.

The first key element I will talk about is trust. Having trust is very important. Its a big part in a relationship. Being truthful is the key to establishing trust in any type of relationship. In a romantic type of relationship, jealousy can be a major cause for a lack of trust. Both parties must have trust. In any case of relationship, trust is built, earned, and maintained. For example: If you had an ex who cheated on you, you might start experiencing trust issues in relationships with others especially when you get close to one another. It may be difficult and you may end up not being able to trust the other person. When someone loses your trust, its hard for anyone in the future to gain or earn your trust because of past situations.

The second key element is friendship. Friendship is a solid foundation for a relationship. You have to be able to feel like you are with your best friend. A friend is the first person you want to call when you hear good news. A friend remembers everything about you. A friendship should make both people in the relationship happy; both people should have fun when they spend time together. For instance, in a marriage if you do not see your spouse as a friend then your marriage will not work, or if you view your spouse as someone who is always battling against you then this is not a happy marriage. Friendship is so important, it helps you to feel valued, to appreciate others and can see you through difficult times. For example, President Obama and First Lady Michelle have that bond of best friends. She sticks by him through thick and thin; no matter what is going on, she is right there by his side. Its great to see this key element in relationships.

Mutual respect is also key element for a healthy relationship. Its okay to disagree but you must respect each others opinions and differences. In any type of relationship there is a must that respect is present. Respect is treating your partner with dignity regardless of the choices they make. Respect carries six other dimensions within it. If there is no respect between each other there is nothing. Respect in a relationship is what you have and want for yourself. For example, your spouse listens to you, cares about your feelings, does not flirt with others especially when you are there, and never takes you for granted. If you can not respect me or anyone else, I can not be with you.

Communication is also a huge important key element in a relationship. If you are not able to open up and talk about things with your partner or spouse, then you do not have a solid relationship. When people have things on their mind and let them go without discussing it, it usually manifests itself elsewhere. For example, if your other half said something to hurt your feelings and you don’t talk about it, you might find yourself getting annoyed and aggravated at everything they do. Without communication, many of us hold a grudge. Holding a grudge is really not productive for a relationship. The most important rule about communication is to talk in a respectful manner. Just saying whatever is on your mind in any tone of voice is not communication. It sometimes just causes confusion.

I have talked about four key elements in a relationship that is important to me. They were trust, friendship, respect, and communication. It is very important to have all of these elements and more. Being truthful is the key to establishing trust in any type of relationship. Friendship is a solid foundation for a relationship. A healthy relationship has a key element of mutual respect for one another. In any type of relationship there is a must that respect is present. Communication is also a huge important key element in a relationship. I hope some of these key elements were helpful to you. It is very important to have them in any type of relationship.