Relationships have a hard time growing without trust. That being said, there’s no perfect formula to achieve trust in every relationship! There is no five-step program. Instead, trust is built by work, honesty, and a little vulnerability on both sides. It’s not necessarily a comfortable process, but building a firm foundation of trust in your relationship can help it withstand any challenge that comes your way. Here are key habits to implement that will make your journey to trust a bit easier.
Be a Good Listener
Being a good listener is important to building trust because it shows that you care what your partner thinks and feels.
Listening and communicating is essential—and it’s a two-way street, which means that when one person is monopolizing the conversation, the other doesn’t have a voice. Without good communication, the relationship can feel unequal.
Be Honest
Honestly, honesty is everything. Trust, once lost, is difficult to recover. It’s much harder to build trust from a place of dishonesty than from one of open communication. Trust can be broken by anything from little white lies to giant problematic ones, so don’t take honesty for granted.
Whether you’re holding back your true feelings or hiding something in your past, your behavior may come across as untrustworthy. Try being more open with your partner.
Acknowledge Your Mistakes
Easily the most challenging element on this list, acknowledging your own mistakes is a great way to build trust. Let’s be honest, nobody is perfect, and everyone is wrong on occasion. Everyone. Acknowledging a mistake, though it can sting at the moment, means that you’re human. It gives your partner room to be human, too.
Think about the last time you made a mistake. Did you immediately own up to it? Probably not. We don’t want our partners to think we messed up. Rather than judging you for your mistake, though, your partner will likely appreciate your vulnerability.
Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Wearing your heart on your sleeve is a another way to open yourself up to someone else, which shows your investment in the relationship and can, in turn, speed up the trust-building process.
You’re more likely to trust individuals that share their inner emotions and motivations. Whether it’s a sob story worthy of The Bachelor or a simple insight into how you’re feeling in a given moment – the moment you open up is the moment that trust begins.
Don’t Discredit Their Opinion
It’s 2021, and it’s beyond time to stop telling other people that their thoughts or feelings are wrong or invalid. If you disagree, voice it, but not in a way that discredits them or attacks them personally.
Again, trust is everything, but that’s not to say it’s easy to earn. Building trust is a process—one that’s ongoing. So, rather than placing a deadline on it, pay attention to the steps you’re taking to build trust and continue that development throughout your relationship!