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thePeorian.com
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tatistics show that almost
50
percent of all marriages
end in divorce. This stag-
gering statistic illustrates that the
art of finding and maintaining
healthy relationships might be an
elusive commodity.
Many of us are unsure just how
to create a healthy relationship,
but there are some sure- fire ways
of creating a disaster in a relation-
ship, most of them from making
demands or expecting too much.
Here’s a quick list of some rules
for ensuring unhappiness in any
relationship:
THE “10 DEMANDS THAT
WILL ENSURE UNHAPPINESS
IN A RELATIONSHIP”
1.
Thou shall make me happy.
2.
Thou shall not have any interests
other than me.
3.
Thou shall know what I want and
what I feel without me having to
say anything.
4.
Thou shall return each one of my
sacrifices with an equal or greater
sacrifice.
5.
Thou shall shield me from anxiety,
worry, hurt, or any pain.
6.
Thou shall give me my sense of
self-worth and esteem.
7.
Thou shall be grateful for every-
thing I do.
8.
Thou shall not be critical of me,
show anger toward me or other-
wise disapprove of anything I do.
9.
Thou shall be so caring and loving
that I need never take risks or be
vulnerable in any way.
10.
Thou shall love me with thy whole
heart, thy whole soul, and thy
whole mind, even if I do not love
myself.
Healthy relationships are
ones in which two wholes come
together to create a union, not
one in which two halves come
together to become a whole. Mak-
ing someone else responsible for
your happiness is a quick road
to a destructive relationship. Too
often people forget that they are
the masters of their own journey.
It is important to remember that
you must learn to love yourself
before you can love someone else.
Anytime you are not connected
with yourself, or find yourself
“
lost” in a relationship, you can
be assured of unhappiness!
A healthy relationship encour-
ages active and continued com-
munication. Too often couples are
great communicators in the early
portion of their relationship, but
soon the communication between
the couple drifts away. As time
passes, so does the strength of the
relationship, because the active
communication process was the
bond that held the power in the
relationship. Without strengthen-
ing and continuing a strong com-
munication system, the relation-
ship will slowly and surely die.
Wondering if your relationship
falls into the “healthy” category?
Here are some of the key ele-
ments of a healthy relationship.
CREATING HEALTHY
RELATIONSHIPS
Everybody wants one, but is it easy to achieve?
By Dr. Joy Miller
Peorian Health
