Building Trust in Relationships
Relationships can take a lot of work, no matter how much trust or lack of trust that either of you have had in the past. When it comes to great, healthy relationships, trust is essential. There are a myriad of things that can contribute to a lack of trust. A lack of trust can stem from previous trauma and relationships, a mistake either of you made, or insecurities. Whatever the reason may be, there are ways to gain that trust again.
What is Trust?
Trusting someone falls hand in hand with feeling secure in the relationship, like they would do you no harm. Another term that is used synonymously with it is loyalty.
If you trust someone, you have faith that they will treat you how they want to be treated and vice versa. Trust is trusting them with your heart, knowing that they won't do anything to break it.
When it comes to family, trust is vital. You have a relationship with each individual person within your immediate and extended family. Trust in family members, much like relationships, is important for maintaining a healthy relationship.
Having that vulnerability and transparent communication with each other helps you understand each other better, and that helps with honesty as well. When it comes to family, parents could feel stressed and like they misunderstand their children. If you're in need of some more advice when it comes to your family, you can visit this site for a better understanding.
Why Is It Important?
We always hear how trust is one of the most important factors in any relationship, but why? Well, having trust in each other allows you to show that vulnerability. Being vulnerable not only helps us heal with any previous trauma or pain, but it allows us to be our most authentic selves.
We can be who we really want to be when we have trust in our partner or our family members. This authenticity will bring partners and families closer.
Not only does it allow us to be authentic, but it lifts our spirits and reduces conflict. If you don't trust each other, odds are you either close yourself off or you tell little white lies. These traits are more likely to lead to arguments, big and small.
How Does It Get Broken?
Trust gets broken when either person puts their own needs before the other. It gets broken with lies, deceit, and manipulation. Trust also gets damaged by broken promises, especially if they frequently go back on their word. While there are many reasons for trust becoming broken, there are ways to gain it back.
This is the hardest part. Once trust is broken, you might never feel like it could be the same again. You'd be surprised, however. While regaining trust doesn't work every time, there are some cases where your trust gets stronger after you rebuild.
What does it look like when trust is broken? Here are some signs to look out for:
- Increased insecurities
- Depression and anxiety
- Loneliness
- Fear of losing the other
- Trouble focusing
- Accusing each other
How Can You Rebuild?
As stated above, trust can be rebuilt after some much-needed time and effort. First things first, it's important to be completely honest with each other. Communication is key and a vital element to gaining trust back.
- No more lying, no more deceit, no more dishonesty.
Be transparent and vulnerable with your partner or family members. This way, they know that you are genuine in your path to reconstructing trust in the relationship.
- Take responsibility for what you have done and be open about what you need to move forward.
Whatever the reason for the lack of trust, talk about how it got that way. Work through the kinks and discuss what you need from now on in order to be able to fully trust each other again.
This goes hand in hand with also understanding each other's communication style. All of this will help you become better together, no matter the circumstances.
Trust isn't an impossible trait to have in your relationship. Whether you're starting from ground zero with a new relationship or you're focusing on mending the relationships that you have with others.
It is possible to rebuild trust and become better than before, and it is also possible to mend relationships where you have broken trust or where they have broken trust. Work on yourself, work on your relationships, and be the best version of yourself in order to have success with trust in relationships.
Written by Ruth Riley