Trust and Relationships

The art of establishing a secure relationship has been proven to be a difficult task. There is no clear roadmap and the various factors that intermingle may affect or break a relationship for good. Yet trust has been called one of the most important pieces to this complex puzzle, and has been vaguely thrown around as the key to a successful relationship. Yet how can you fully trust in your partner? How important is it truly? And how can you strengthen it when it seems to go astray?

Trust. The foundation for all human achievement and growth. Whether it is within a familial relationship, between coworkers, friends, and finally between romantic partners, trust is the fundamental key for crafting flourishing human connections. Without this key ingredient, any relationship will crumble and fall apart, and romantic partnerships are no different. In fact, romantic relationships need the most trust to survive, and it needs to be actively cultivated throughout the relationship. Yet how can you fully trust in your partner? How important is it truly? And how can you strengthen it when it seems to go astray?

Before fully trusting in a partner, one has to begin by spending time alone. To trust is to work towards fully understanding the other person, and not fearing vulnerability. Fear, in many ways, has a close association with the concept of being vulnerable, and emotional intimacy is a difficult terrain to navigate. Without fully trusting yourself and understanding how you function on your own, you may lose yourself within your partner, falling into unhealthy habits of devoting yourself too much or not giving enough, destabilizing the relationship. You are the first person that you will ever have to learn to fully trust, and without this essential ingredient, you will have little ease trusting others. There is a level of honesty that you must have with yourself, one that touches on your wants and needs, and what you expect from a relationship. This internal dynamic may come to dictate the way you relate to your partner, and it will allow you to fully communicate in an effective manner.

The experience of trusting is a gradual one. One that will be composed of memories, experiences, and moments alongside your partner. Moments that may seem trivial, or ones that impact your relationship. There is a slow domesticity that comes with building trust, creeping moments spent together that allow for a greater understanding of the other person. Car rides, soft conversations, laughs, all that composes the cacophony of connection. Trust is an amalgamation of common experiences, ones exclusive to you and that other person. It's quiet honesty, consistency, and mutual respect that all become tied together as time goes on. Many times people view love and relationships as a series of incredibly romantic moments, yet what adds the most is the soft, daily presence of reality, one which constructs lasting relationships.

But as we know, reality can become harsh, and relationships might become strained in these situations. Responsibility is key for strengthening a relationship and building it to last. Without responsibility, and truly acknowledging and accepting your actions, something that permits growth and understanding, trust will not hold the relationship together. Trust is difficult, it's hard to carve and even harder to keep alive as things go astray. By not truly being honest with your partner, allowing space for communication and connection, as well as taking responsibility for both your actions, this basic, yet misunderstood concept of trust will not be fully realized. Many fear not having it, so much they grow distrustful of their own emotions. If one were to distill what trust truly is, we would find it means balance. A balance of communication, patience, and understanding. A balance in how we trust in ourselves, and others.

Trust is established through time, and a secure connection with your partner can only be fully cemented with patience and dedication.

Keep These Things in Mind:

• Trust is established through time

• Honesty is key

• Understanding your partner’s intentions, and frequently strengthening the communication between the both of you

• Respect each other

• Support each other

• Take responsibility for your actions

• Understanding each other

• Don’t expect too much from each other → and learn as you go (no preconceived notions).

Name: Sarah Abdellatif-Chaves

Editor: Nathalia Ramkissoon