What is a Healthy Sexual Relationship?
A healthy sexual relationship can be defined as a state of emotional, physical, social, and mental well being with respect to our sexuality. In a healthy sexual relationship, the individuals involved are physically and psychologically content with the nature and frequency of their sexual encounters.
Key Attributes of a Healthy Sexual Relationship
The key attributes that characterize a healthy sexual relationship are listed below:
- Safety: Safety is one of the most important attributes of a healthy sexual relationship. If the relationship is healthy, then there will not by any fear of physical or emotional harm and neither would any partner attempt to cause the harm.
- Honesty: Another very important trait of a healthy relationship is honesty. You do not have to think about hiding anything from your partner and there is no fear of being ridiculed. There is an open acceptance for any wrong that has been done and disagreements are sorted out by healthy discussions.
- Acceptance: In a healthy sexual relationship, you accept your partner for who she/he is. You respect your partner’s unique traits and do not make any attempt to fix or change them as per your individual liking.
- Respect: A healthy sexual relationship is marked by respect for each other. There is no feeling of being superior or inferior and there is respect for each other’s individual opinions and ideas.
- Enjoyment: Being in a healthy sexual relationship means that you enjoy each other’s company. You play, laugh, and feel energized and alive in the presence of your partner.
- Consent: A very important pillar of a healthy sexual relationship is mutual consent while engaging in a sexual activity. You respect each other’s free will about whether or not to engage in a particular activity and you never force yourself on your partner without his/her will.
- Safety: Another vital trait of a healthy sexual relationship is that you feel safe and secure within the setting. You do not worry about sexually transmitted infection, unwanted pregnancy, and any form of physical injury.
In order to ensure that your sexual relationship is healthy, you need to spend a lot of time together and engage in honest, and open conversation with your partner. Meeting all the above stated attributes of a healthy sexual relationship does not guarantee that you have a terrific sex life, but it does make sure that there is a strong feeling of security in your relationship.
Tips for Nurturing a Healthy Sexual Relationship
A healthy sexual relationship is nurtured over a period of time. Some important tips for developing a healthy relationship are listed below:
- Practice good communication: Good communication is vital for nurturing a healthy sexual relationship. It helps improve feelings of love, respect, emotional bonding, and sexual pleasure. Numerous sexual problems can be solved by talking openly and freely with each other during the course of your intimate relationship.
- Strengthen trust: Mutual trust is very important in developing a healthy sexual relationship. It helps overcome feelings of fear, anxiousness, betrayal and disappointment. Trust can only grow in a relationship if both the people act in a mature manner and keep up with the commitments. Setting realistic expectations from each other also helps in building trust in a relationship.
References
• http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/healthy_sexuality.htm