Honesty and Healthy Relationships

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How a truthful and kind approach can make a big difference when it comes to your growing relationship.

Honesty is a vital part of any relationship. Whether you’re on your first date or your 100th, you should always look to share and reciprocate in a fundamentally honest way.  It’s also a key component of building trust, which we know is another make or break value for most couples. But how does that translate to real life?Should surprise parties be off the table forever? Can you be truly honest about the meal they cooked for you that you really didn’t like? The truth is that it’s not just about being open and honest whenever and wherever you can, it’s about expressing that honesty with kindness and care. 

We’ve brought together our top advice for making honesty a central pillar of your relationship, below.

Be Honest (But Kind)

You should be honest. Full stop. But that doesn’t mean you have to be brutal. Go ahead and keep those positive surprises for your date or let them down gently if you don’t like a new recipe. Pair your honesty with kindness and consideration every step of the way to make it really work for your relationship.

Practice Emotional Honesty

This is perhaps the most important part of honesty in a relationship. Being honest about your feelings and emotions and being able to express these thoughts to a partner or potential partner is huge. It stops the rifts that can come from one partner expecting the other to be a mind reader. It helps to promote empathy and understanding. It can also improve communication within a relationship, shifting the conversation from the accusatory, “You did” to the more productive, “I feel.”

Stop With The Secrets

Secrets grow and multiply and fester, so that small lie you told about being stuck at work when you were actually with friends can easily spiral out of control. Even if it leads to difficult conversations, don’t keep secrets from your partner. And in a new relationship, make this a good habit you keep from day one. Have to break a date because your exhausted or unwell or have a family emergency? Be honest about it. Your date will respect you so much more for telling the truth. 

Watch Out For White Lies

White lies can become a habit. And we can find ourselves telling them for no good reason. Perhaps you tell a date that your role at work is a little more senior than it is. Or that you’re at the gym every day rather than once or twice a week. We often tell white lies to protect our pride or to make ourselves look better but they can quickly become problematic. Especially as a relationship develops and they unravel. Honesty is a behaviour that becomes easier with practice, so if you do find yourself lying often you need to make a conscious effort to break that pattern. When we talk to single Muslims about their expectations of a new partner, honesty is almost always near the top of their list. And it’s a value that makes up a key part of our ethos as matchmakers. If you’re looking for a committed relationship where honesty is a priority get in touch. We can help you find someone who shares the values that matter to you.

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Honesty and Healthy Relationships

How a truthful and kind approach can make a big difference when it comes to your growing relationship. Honesty is a vital part of any