With Valentine’s day coming up, everyone is either excited to be spending the day with a speical someone, spend the day surrounded by your closest friends, or just have a built in excuse to eat chocolate and not feel guilty about watching rom-coms. Though Valentine’s day is a great day to appreciate those you love, it’s also a great time to remember what a healthy-relationship is, both romantic and platonic.
Healthy relationships are about mutual respect, honesty, integrity and affection. Being in a healthy realtionships means feeling safe, comfortable and that your values and beliefs are never jeopradized because of the other person’s influence.
Espcially in college, unhealthy relationships can both go unnoticed and ignored. According to a survey conducted by Knowledge Networks, 57% of college students who have been reported in an unhealthy and abusive relationships said it occured around college. Unhealthy relationships can be on different levels of the spectrum, however each are equally important and noteworthy. Unhealthy relationships can consists of one partner trying to exert control and power over the other physically, sexually, and/or emotionally. The danger is the notion of ‘love is blind,’ and how someone may be afriad to confront their partner about their behavior for risk of punishment or embarassment.
If you or someone you know feels that they are not in a safe and healthy relationship, there are a multitude of resources available to help them discuss their options. As a friend, make sure your friend in the relationship knows they are supported and not alone. Give power back to them and allow them to decide the best course of action for them. For anyone in an unhealthy relationship, once you feel comofrtable, reach out to someone you can confide in and have an open conversation about your partners behavior. Remember that you are not alone.
This Valentine’s week, remember to treat everyone you love with respect and compassion, you never know what people may be going through, regardless of the severity. Continue to spread love, HC!