 Hey Psych2Goers, we're talking about relationships today. Sometimes people can get stuck in super toxic relationships, but not realize it until after they're out. These relationships can drain you and make you feel like a shell of yourself. No matter what your relationship status is, it's really important to know what a strong, healthy relationship looks and feels like. Are you curious if your relationship is a strong one? We're going to explore 8 things that strong relationships have in common. Let's go. 1. You can openly communicate with your partner. Let's start at the beginning. You meet someone and want to get to know them a little better. How do you do that? You communicate. You talk about your likes and dislikes, interests, hobbies, and you ask them the same to get to know them better. That shouldn't stop once you're actually in the relationship, though. When you're in a strong relationship, you should be able to discuss anything with your partner. When you're in a strong relationship, not only can you talk about these things with your partner, but they can also come to you with anything as well. 2. You're an individual in a relationship. You are not the relationship. When you get in a new relationship, do you take on a whole new persona? Do you stop doing things you like? Stop hanging out with your friends? Do you start picking up habits and hobbies that your partner likes that you don't? This is a sign of an unhealthy relationship. When in a relationship dropping everything in your life for your partner can be a sign of an unhealthy attachment style. In a strong relationship, you should still be you. That's why they like to be in the first place. Both individuals should still maintain their own identity while creating couple likes and hobbies to share. 3. You respect one another. Respect does not equal agreement. You are not required to agree with your partner or their opinions 100% of the time, but you do need to respect them and their opinions. Other ways you can show respect in a relationship are listening to each other, forgiving each other for small mistakes, making room in your life for them while still allowing them to be their own person and respecting their boundaries. Doing these things will ensure your partner feels loved and cared for, and it will help strengthen the relationship. 4. You show affection to each other. How do you like to be shown affection? How does your partner like affection? Is it an act of service like preparing lunch or maybe physical touch? How does your partner like to be shown they matter? If you're curious about you or your partner's love language, check out our breakdown of the 5 Love Languages. Once you figure it out, try it out and notice how your partner responds. 5. You support each other. Have you ever been in a relationship where your partner downplayed your accomplishments? Maybe you've been in a relationship where your partner needs to one-up your achievement. This is a sign of a toxic relationship. In a strong relationship, you support your partner and are their biggest cheerleader. You want them to achieve their goals. This support helps to build a strong relationship. 6. You're committed to each other and the relationship. Commitment. There are two sides of it. On one side, you have people who see commitment as being tied down, or the fun being over. On the other hand, you see people who feel joy and a sense of belonging through commitment. A 2014 study on relationships found that the individuals who saw commitment positively were more satisfied and had stronger relationships. That commitment and unwavering care for your partner creates a strong bond of security in the relationship, since a lot of insecurities are relieved. 7. You both have mutual hobbies. Now, this may seem contrary to our earlier point, but we said to keep your own identity. Yes. It is absolutely healthy and normal to pick up hobbies that you both like doing. Keyword. Both. If your partner is a huge gym person and you're not, you may not want to join them on their 5am run followed by a 1 hour weightlifting session. Talk to your partner to see what interests of theirs line up with yours. It could help create some good bonding time for you too, to help strengthen the relationship. 8. You both contribute to the relationship. Relationships are always two-way streets. No matter what you're talking about. No one person should always be giving and no one person should always be taking. Now, contribution isn't necessarily always the same. It could be contributing love, money, your abilities, or talents. Can you count on your partner as your teammate? If so, you're probably in a strong relationship. Did these signs make you think of that special someone in your life? No matter your relationship status, we hope this list got you thinking a little bit about your current or next relationship and how you can better yourself to be a strong part of a healthy one. Did you find this video valuable? Tell us in the comments below. Please like and share it with friends that might find use in this video too. Make sure to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell for more content. All the references used are added in the description box below. Thanks for watching and see you next time!