Healthy Relationships

What is a healthy relationship?

Healthy relationships are all about respecting each other. You should feel loved, safe and free to be yourself. A relationship doesn’t just mean what happens in your love life. Most of our important relationships are with our family and friends and the one thing they all have in common is that they involve our feelings. We have lots of different types of relationships with different people e.g. teachers, health professionals and even neighbours.

Whatever the relationship, it will probably have ups and downs, most do. Good communication and respect going both ways are really important to make it work well.

A healthy relationship is where both people DO:

• Feel safe, equal, respected and happy.
• Care about what each other want.
• Keep and see friends and family when they want to.
• Break up if they want to.

A healthy relationship is where both people DON’T:

• Put pressure on the other person, and it’s as easy to say no as to say yes
• Do things that make the other person feel uncomfortable, anxious or scared.
• Have to spend time with the other person
• Consent
• Are you ready for Sex
• Abuse

Your sexual health is an important aspect of your general health and wellbeing so if you have any problems it is a good idea to speak to someone sooner rather than later. Your GP or local sexual health services can help. All services are confidential and there probably isn’t anything a sexual health nurse or doctor hasn’t seen or heard before!

How do I know if I am in a healthy relationship?

Being in a relationship can be complicated – knowing you’re in an unhealthy relationship can be tougher.

• Do you both want to be in the relationship?
• Are you both equals? Do you respect each other?
• Do you trust each other?
• Do you feel safe with each other?

What is Consent?

Consent is when one person agrees to or gives permission to another person to do something. Consent means agreeing to an action based on your knowledge of what that action involves, its likely consequences and having the option of saying NO. The absence of no does not mean yes.

Communication, honesty and respect make sexual relationships better. Asking for and obtaining consent shows respect for yourself and your partner. It removes the right that one partner might feel over the other. Neither your body nor your sexuality belongs to anyone else.