'10 Key Principles About Relationships'.

# 1: Finding your voice: It's important to remember that the self is continually reinvented through our interactions with others. Every relationship is a laboratory in which we can practice using our voice in new ways and observe the results of our experiments.

# 2: Communication Skills: Words transmit only 7% of the communication. 38% is delivered with our tone of voice and 56% by our body language. Remember that rolling your eyes at a statement of your partner conveys more harm to the communication than saying: 'I don't agree with what you are saying.'

# 3: Understanding. Remember that the goal of your conversation with your partner isn't necessarily to seek agreement, but to communicate understanding.

# 4: Self-esteem: YOUR self-esteem is unconditional, it is your birthright as a human being, it does not need to be earned - it is a given. Your partner is not able to take it from you, nor are they responsible to give you YOUR self-esteem, that is for you to realise and experience.

# 5: Accept Change. Relationships will inevitably change over time. Face up to the reality of who you truly are and who your partner is, accept and welcome change and grow with it.

# 6: Look after yourself. When two people in a relationship each look after themselves, then both are being looked after. That does not mean that you become egoistically focused on yourself but that you take responsibility for your own well-being and happiness and do not expect your partner to be responsible to make you happy.

# 7: Give in, let go, move on. Although it may not be easy, try letting go of the idea that you need to win arguments with your partner in order to prove an upper moral hand. Consider whether it might be better to simply forfeit fights from time to time.

# 8: Laugh about yourself. Remember to not take yourself too seriously in the relationship. Laughing about yourself and your patterns of reactions sometimes makes it easier to relate. And it allows your partner to join you.

# 9: Open your heart. Have you realised that when your partner talks about their feelings (even if it is that they are upset at you) it does not really help to apply logic or reason? It is better to just listen with an open heart and communicate empathy. Easier said than done? Just practice.

# 10: The key to successful relating is not found in complex theories or convoluted formulas for behaviour. It is based on the deepest feeling of love, respect and affection for your partner, and is demonstrated simply through empathy and understanding. Good relating begins in your heart, and then continues on a moment-to-moment basis by engaging your partner when feelings run high, when they are sad, angry or hurt. The heart of relating is being there in a particular way when it really counts.

Do You Have a Healthy Relationship?

Do You Have a Healthy Relationship? 3 Signs of a Healthy Relationship! You Don't Want to Miss This!
I bet you think that you have a healthy relationship. After all, most people do. But why is it then, that the divorce rate is above 50%, and why is it much higher for people who date?

You see, what most people consider to be a healthy relationship, is actually a relationship which is deteriorating...BUT, as long as you catch the unhealthy signs early, you can make sure it doesn't ruin your relationship!

Read on to find out whether or not you have a healthy relationship...

Sign #1 That You Have A Healthy Relationship: Two DIFFERENT Opinions

You can have two different opinions without getting mad at each other. A lot of couples will argue till their face gets blue when they experience a difference in opinions, BUT, if you and your partner can have a difference of opinions without feeling hurt or without wanting to chop each other's heads off...this means your relationship is healthy.

You see, whenever there is a mutual understanding, you will notice that you can share different ideas without feeling as if it's just not working out, because you understand each other, you don't let every small disagreement get in the way of the bigger picture.

Sign #2 That You Have A Healthy Relationship: You Aren't BORED

You may not be aware of this, but boredom is the number one cause of cheating. If you find yourself always feeling bored or always expecting your partner to entertain you...then you are on the verge of pushing your relationship into an unhealthy one.

Healthy relationships do not have partners who constantly depend on each other to keep each other entertained, because they can naturally find new ways to challenge each other.

Welcome challenges into your relationship, because they will prevent both of you from becoming bored, and in the end both of you will always feel satisfied.

Sign #3 That You Have A Healthy Relationship: You Can Let Things Go

Do you or your partner let things go, or do both of you hold grudges? You see, if you find that neither of you can easily let issues go, and that both of you always bring it up in future arguments, this is a sign of an unhealthy relationship.

In a healthy relationship, both partners will be able to easily let things go, because they are working together, not against each other. They are also able to let things go more easily, because they change and make efforts not to make the same mistakes again.

This is because each partner knows what they want from each other and from themselves. When you don't know what you want, you will find that you feel offended easily when your partner does something which isn't exactly what you expect... and you will also find that you may like one thing about them one minute, but a month later hate that same exact thing.

You should also understand that the reason why neither of you is able to let things go, is because neither of you wants to change, and if neither of you is willing to change, the relationship is going to go nowhere, because every healthy relationship has a healthy amount of change, which is the kind of change that moves both of you forward.

How to Save a Relationship From Breaking Up!

When a relationship is on the verge of going downhill there are some warning signals. All of us identify these signals but use the ostrich approach. We bury our heads in the sand and pretend that things will tide over by themselves. But that never happens. If you want to save your relationship from breaking up then here are the things that you need to start doing.

Look at the symptoms
Begin to identify the symptoms that make you feel like your relationship is heading southward. It could be your spouse or partner avoiding you or being mean. It could be too many unnecessary fights or it could be cheating. Be open and honest and look at all the symptoms that present themselves.

Identify the causes
Now the symptoms are not what is wrong with your relationship. It's the underlying cause that encourages these symptoms that is the problem. Identify these causes if you want to save the relationship. These obviously are not going to be pretty so steel yourself and be ready to face the truth.
Start talking
Most relationships fail because communication stops. Start talking to your partner/spouse and openly discuss the causes and symptoms that you have been analyzing. Sometimes this is enough to get a relationship back on track.
Don't let opposition deter you
If your partner has still not come to accept that the relationship is dwindling, you will be faced with some opposition. You have to show your maturity and perseverance at a time like this and convince the other person that your relationship needs some hard work.

Don't take advice
Most couples go and talk to their friends when they begin to suspect something is amiss in the relationship. Friends cannot offer unbiased advice and often agree with things that are not. Also they are afraid of unbalancing the personal equation they share with you and will not be harsh or completely truthful when needed.

Confide in a counselor
The best thing to do is to head to a counselor who will be able to give you an objective opinion on everything and will help you chalk out a way of salvaging the relationship. Since he/she will not know you at a personal level helping you will become a lot easier.

Have patience
Simply going to a counselor does not make things ok. You will have to work hard and walk together on the path shown by him/her. Things take time to sort out so have patience and continue to work hard on your relationship and save it from breaking up.