27/10/2022
6 Strategies to Build & Maintain Trust in Relationships
The importance of trust in all types of relationships cannot be overemphasized, yet most of us have been betrayed by the people we trusted at least once in our lives. As a result, we tend to dwell on how we can effectively handle relationships once trust has been broken.
Oftentimes we act as though the moment we meet someone, we start to trust them. We forget that trust is built, and if we do some reflection, we might realize that we don’t even know how to build trust.
1. Talk about it.
Sometimes we have moments where we feel like we are unable to trust our partners.
It could be because they are coming home late, spending so much time on the phone, or just our gut feeling. If you ignore that feeling, it continues building, and you resent your partner more every day.
Rather, open up and talk about these concerns. Let them know how their behavior is affecting you and give them a platform to explain themselves.
2. Be honest.
In relation to the above point, having a conversation with your partner is useless if both of you are not honest. When having such an important (or any) conversation, there is a need for both of you to be honest with both how you feel and the facts of events.
When you know that your partner is always honest, it is easier to believe everything they tell you and those feelings of mistrust can be effectively dealt with.
3. Be non-judgmental.
If you expect your partner to be honest, you need to create an environment where they can be honest without being judged. Have an open mind and be ready to accept anything and everything that your partner tells you.
Sometimes it might not be what you want to hear, but it will be the truth that you have to accept.
4. Have firm boundaries.
It is essential for both parties to set and communicate their boundaries.
Both people also have to actively work towards respecting those boundaries. If your partner needs some alone time every Sunday afternoon, let them have that, and do not overstep that boundary.
Boundaries allow everyone involved to be comfortable in the relationship knowing that their partner recognizes and respects the boundaries they have in place.
5. Keep your promises.
If promises are constantly broken, it is difficult to build and maintain trust. Imagine if when you were young, your mom kept telling you that you will go to Disney Land the next month and never actually taking you there.
The first few times you get excited because you trust her, but if she continues not keeping that promise, you start hurting and not believing her. Even if she tells you that she will bring ice cream from the store, you would not necessarily believe her.
The same is also applicable to relationships. If you constantly fail to live up to your word, you give your partner a reason not to trust you. This will make it hard for them to believe you even when you say the truth.
6. Take responsibility.
Sometimes we mess up.
Once we have done so, we need to be able to acknowledge and take ownership of our mistakes and then ask for our partner’s forgiveness.
Many of us find this difficult to do, and we are quick to point fingers at people or circumstances that drove us to make the mistake. We never acknowledge that we were wrong and try to convince our partners that if circumstances had been different, we wouldn’t have made the mistakes we made.