Relationships can be complicated, especially when dating is new for you or your partner. It can take some time to figure out what you want, what your boundaries are, how to communicate, and so much more.
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, so we put together a roundup of healthy relationship advice from our blog. Here are 19 pieces on healthy relationships dealing with everything from sexting to jealousy to common red flags.
What is a healthy relationship?
Having a healthy relationship isn’t something that just happens. It requires thought and effort.
- Here’s an overview of 6 Signs Your Relationship is Healthy.
- Respect is a fundamental part of every healthy relationship. Here are 6 Ways to Show Respect in Your Relationship.
- Here’s Your How-To Guide for #RelationshipGoals.
- Communicating openly about your emotions can be hard, but makes your relationship even stronger! Here’s how to talk about feelings of jealousy.
Consent
Consent is maybe the most important part of sex (and all physical touch). At its most basic, consent means getting permission to do something (in this case, something sexual). It’s all about making sure sex stays fun and feels good for everyone.
- There’s a lot of misinformation out there about consent. Here are 7 misconceptions about it and what you should know instead.
- It’s not ok to keep pushing your partner’s head toward your crotch to ask for oral sex (blow job, going down on, eating out, giving head). Here’s why, and how you can respond if someone does it to you.
- Taking off the condom in the middle of sex without your partner’s knowledge is a major violation of consent. Here’s why and what you can do if this has happened to you.
- Consent is just as important online as in real life. Here’s how to handle being pressured to send a nude photo.
- It’s often (wrongly) assumed that guys ALWAYS want sex. Of course, that’s not actually the case.
- Pressuring someone to have sex is NEVER ok, no matter what genders you and your partner are.
Boundaries
Boundaries are what separate you as a unique individual from the people around you. They help you stay safe, stick to your values, grow as an individual, and so much more.
- It’s hard to set boundaries with other people if you don’t know what your boundaries are in the first place. Here are 3 ways to figure out your own boundaries.
- One common boundary is not sharing passwords with your significant other. Here’s how to handle it if your partner wants you to share yours.
- Spending ALL your time with your partner isn’t healthy—it’s important to have your own friends and pursue your own interests, too!
What do unhealthy and abusive relationships look like?
Most people understand that physical violence is never ok. But emotional abuse can be just as damaging.
- Often, people ignore queer relationships when they talk about dating violence. This means that abuse is too often dismissed as “just drama.” Here’s why and what you can do about it.
- Here are 5 common relationship behaviors that are actually red flags.
- Romance in movies and TV shows is often less amazing than it seems. Here are 4 unhealthy love lessons we learn from pop culture.
- One of our social workers shares the 4 most common ways she sees dating abuse play out in teens.
- Emotional abuse includes name-calling, threats, gas lighting and more. Here’s what emotional abuse looks like in young people.
- In the media, the stalker is a scary stranger who hides in the bushes outside of a woman’s house, or calls and breathes heavily into the phone. In real life, most people are stalked by someone they already know, usually a current or former partner.
If you think you might be in an unhealthy or abusive relationship, you’re not alone. If you’re 10-22 years old in NYC, call (212) 423-3000 to make an appointment to talk to someone about what you’re going through. Check out Love is Respect’s Power and Control Wheel. You can also call their hotline at (866) 331-8453 or text loveis to 22522.
The Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center is located in New York City. It provides comprehensive, confidential, judgment free health care at no charge to over 12,000 young people every year. This column is not intended to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual, only general information for education purposes only.
