10 Ways To Keep Your Relationship Negativity Free

Oct 26, 2018 by apost team

Relationships often suffer from a variety of negativity that inevitably creeps in from time to time. It takes hard work, compassion and close attention to maintain a healthy relationship. Here are 10 important tips you should know to prevent your relationships from deteriorating.

1. Try not to complain excessively

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The definition of being a negative person, in many people’s minds, is a habitual complainer. It’s normal to vent during stressful situations, and that can be healthy, but don’t make a habit of griping about every little thing.

You don’t want to be known as “the complainer,” because people will view you as a negative person, and you’ll be unpleasant to be around.  Get in the habit of pointing out things you like and find ways to lift the mood, and it will help balance out the inevitable complaints that come up from time to time.

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2. Don’t nag or criticize

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Wise people such as Dale Carnegie and Benjamin Franklin have said that they follow a rule of never criticizing or pointing out mistakes and flaws. This is one of the first rules of getting along with people.

Everyone has idiosyncrasies that may bother you at times, so you have to learn to live with them. It’s not your job to fix people unless they ask for help. 

A person’s flaws are part of what makes them a unique individual, so you should learn to appreciate it.

On the other hand, if you just can’t live with a person with certain habits or behaviors, it’s better to leave the relationship than to attempt to change the person’s behavior. 

3. Beware of jealousy

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Avoid letting jealousy fester within you because it leads to resentment and causes bitterness between people. No matter how hard you work in life, there will always be people who have something you don’t have or things they’re more talented at than you are. 

Remind yourself of the things that you excel in that they don’t, and you’ll probably realize that there’s no reason to feel inadequate. For example, you might not earn as much money, but maybe you have creative talents or won awards that most people never could achieve.

It’s likely that the person you envy feels the same about you or even more. Don’t fall into the trap of feeling inferior or inadequate when someone surpasses you in some way, especially if it’s your relationship partner.

4. Maintain open communication

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Be willing to have open and honest conversations. It takes strength of character to be honest with other people and with yourself. If you’re not willing to share your concerns, things will tend to fester.

Don’t keep secrets from your partner, and don’t shut him or her out. If communications start to shut down and people get distanced from one another, things can quickly start to fall apart. 

If your partner does something to upset you, don’t be afraid to bring it up. It’s possible to discuss the problem without resorting to insults and verbal abuse. Healthy communication is essential for any kind of relationship, so work on remaining open and honest in order to keep negativity at bay.

5. Show appreciation

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In order to maintain positive feelings with people, you need to occasionally express how much you value them and the things they do. People need validation in order to feel like they have a place in society and that they matter.

Also, when you give validation, others give it back to you. In order to keep relationships happy and harmonious, there needs to be respect and love given between both people. 

6. Forgive and forget

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If someone makes a mistake that upsets you, it does no good to carry anger about it forever. You have to accept that people all make mistakes occasionally, and learn to forgive them and move on. 

7. Show compassion

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A loving relationship thrives on kindness and compassion. When you give love to a person, they will give it back. If you strive to become more of a kind person, then you will attract more people that have those qualities.

8. Your relationship should be unique

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Don’t expect your relationship to be just like your friends or your parents. Every relationship requires a slightly different approach because people are complex and unique in many ways.

If your relationship is different from others that you observe, you can’t assume that there’s something wrong. Learn to appreciate what makes your relationship different and special. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, be happy about what you do have.

9. Appreciate people for who they are

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If you find some flaws in the people in your life, it’s not your place to try and change them. They’ll only change if they want to. The only way to inspire people to change is to be an example or a role model. In order to create a stronger bond with your loved one, focus more on what you like about them and not about what you don’t like. 

10. Laughter is the best medicine

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Life is full of adversity and struggles, so in order to maintain a healthy mood, it’s important to be able to see the humor in things. Laughter also keeps the playful and adventurous side of you alive and makes you a more fun person to be around.

When you’re good at expressing humor that your partner can appreciate, it also brings you closer together.

What rules do you live by to keep your relationships positive? Let us know in the comments. If you think this advice is valuable, then pass this info to your friends.