Nobody can be perfect all the time, so it is not surprising that a relationship between two people will occasionally break down. Just because a relationship has hit a rough spot does not mean it is necessarily time to give up, with that attitude you will never make it in a long term relationship. In order to maintain a healthy relationship there are some fundamental needs that require strengthening and attention at times.

Your partner needs to know without a doubt that you support them and are there for them. Several different components are involved in creating and expressing your support. One you make sure you are listening to your partners concerns about their life, day, and dreams. It is not enough to tell your partner you know how they feel and consider their feelings validated. You need to allow them to express their feelings while you simply listen. Paying attention to their voice and hearing the full details of what they have to say is much more beneficial than filling in the blanks on your own because most likely, what you think they will say and what they really want to say will be starkly different.

While listening to your partner make sure you offer words of encouragement to them from time to time and not just negativity towards their decisions and actions. You are not with your partner 24 hours a day, so what they choose to tell you within a fraction of that time obviously means a lot to them and that demands your full attention. Their goals and values are going to be different than yours because as close as you are, they are not you and you should appreciate that in them and value their different perspectives on the world. If you offer your support and lend a listening ear, they will be motivated to show you the same courtesy when it is your time to talk. Exchanges in communication that follow this pattern are very healthy to have in a functional relationship.

Two more important parts of a relationship that you should take special care to maintain is trust and dependability. Without trust, you may as well throw away a relationship because the questions and cynicism on a day to day basis will tear a relationship apart in little to no time. If you say you will do something for them, do it. If you say you are going to be somewhere, than be there. If for some reason you are unable to fulfill a promise to them you have made, don’t make an elaborate excuse for your behavior, because after awhile they will build up and your partner will begin to doubt anything you say and you have completely ruined any semblance or trust that was ever in the relationship. Simply own up to the truth, apologize, and take special care to prevent the situation from happening again. Throughout time there will be problems throughout any relationship, but if you take the initiative to address the problems before they grow, they can actually lead the relationship to mature, not falter.