Relationships fall apart without these 6 things

Relationships go down the road to ruin without a willingness on the part of both partners -- not just one -- to do the following six things:

Invest time in the relationship
Invest energy in the relationship
Communicate their concerns and address any areas where they feel there is room for improvement
Remain transparent
Love and trust one another
Be understanding rather than judgmental

A relationship is like a car in that it requires routine maintenance. What would happen if you were to stop changing the oil and rotating the tires? It would cease to work properly, right?

The same logic applies to a relationship.

And here's the thing: When a car starts giving you problems, you don't immediately go out and get a new one. Similarly, you shouldn't pull the plug on a relationship without making the effort to resolve whatever problems the two of you are facing.

Ending a relationship prematurely would mean giving up on something that may very well have the potential to thrive if both partners only tried a little harder.

And partners needn't feel scared or bashful to discuss their feelings. If you confide in your partner, you trust him or her to hear you out and try to understand your emotions rather than dismiss them outright.

And if one partner is always too busy for the other, they're either not seriously invested in the relationship, they have their priorities out of whack, or both.

Partners will never be able to get to the root of hurt feelings unless they're open with one another. Keeping such feelings bottled up will only magnify the issues they're dealing with.

As I've emphasized in other posts, each partner's kindness should be reciprocated by the other. If only one person in the relationship is bending over backwards to make the other happy, how long do you think it'll be before they'll feel taken for granted?

If, after talking with your partner, seeking counseling, and exploring other avenues, you're still unable to mend fences, then the relationship may in fact be beyond repair. But if two people genuinely care about each other, they should both fight for their relationship as much as they can.

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