When you’re just starting out in a new relationship, it’s always important to look for relationship green flags. A green flag in a relationship indicates mutual respect between one another and compatibility. While they might be subtle, it’s still critical to pay attention to them in order to help determine the long-term potential with one another. Examples of relationship green flags include making time for the other person, being a good listener, being attentive to your partner’s needs, being respectful to everyone, being independent, and being honest. The list of green flags really includes all signs of a healthy, loving relationship. They are just as important as paying attention to red flags.

Respect

You probably already know this, but a healthy relationship revolves around your partner’s respect for you. However, you should also pay attention to the respect your partner shows towards other people, including their friends, family members, and most importantly strangers. For example, if they are in a rush while running errands in a time crunch and the cashier is slow, how do they react? You can learn a lot about a person based on how kind they are to the people around them. If your partner is respectful and kind to others, he or she will be more likely to treat you the same way down the line.

Honesty

Honesty is the foundation for trust in a relationship. Without honesty, it can be hard to trust your partner and without trust, your relationship will probably be shaky at best. Being honest also means that you and your partner have a healthy communication pattern. Healthy communication means that you feel that you can talk to your partner about anything, including any conflict that arises in the relationship. Relationship counselor, Margaret Paul, explains that “Relationships flourish when partners trust each other to be honest and open to resolving conflict.” Relationships can just as easily break when that trust is broken.

Independency

Healthy relationships can thrive when both partners are able to maintain independence and their own sense of self. It’s important that you can find happiness and success outside of your relationship so that you do not feel entirely dependent on your partner. If you depend solely on your partner, you might begin to start feeling lost or fearful to leave the relationship. Being independent ensures that you can grow both as a couple and as individuals. Some ways to find independence are to have your own friends outside of the relationship, carve out alone time, find your own hobbies, and set your own goals.

How to Spot Green Flags

Spotting green flags is something you should look for time and time again throughout your relationship. The first step in identifying green flags is to first take a step back and consider what your personal needs are in a relationship. After identifying your must-haves in the relationship, you can consider the more general green flags in a relationship which can help indicate whether it’s okay to keep seeing your partner. Remember, it’s just as important to take the time to identify green flags as it is red flags because you will really want to get the whole picture of your relationship.

Relationship Counseling

If you find that your relationship has more red flags than green ones, Life Balance Therapy can help you get your relationship back on track. Life Balance offers couples counseling to help couples work on their relationship and change for the better. To learn more, click here.