If you have been in a few bad relationships though, you might find it difficult to understand when a new relationship has more green flags than not. In order to help you out with that, here are some important green flags in a relationship you should not miss.
They Are Open And Honest About Their Feelings
One of the most important things a partner can do that is definitely a green flag is to be emotionally mature. This can mean a lot of things in the relationship and it can be important in the personal growth of both partners.
If the person you are with tells you openly how they feel about you, what you mean to them, and how they feel being around you, then you know they are being open and honest with their feelings. They have nothing to hide from you and want to make you feel loved and safe in the relationship.
A person that doesn't play any games or makes you question their feelings towards you is definitely a partner that is showing green flags and a great sign they are seeing you seriously.
“...in a healthy relationship, both people can be strong.” - Kim Walker-Smith
They Validate Your Feelings And Make You Feel Safe
Each person has a different personality and deals with different situations in a completely different way. When someone truly cares about you, they will act toward you with kindness when you are struggling and not try to create conflict and make you feel guilty over your emotions.
If a partner is gaslighting you, trying to start conflict, and is making you feel like your emotions are not valid, they are probably not a good person and someone you don't want to be around. A green flag you should look for is a partner who shows respect towards how you feel and doesn't see your true emotions as a bad thing.
Everyone faces difficult times in their life and a loving partner will be there to validate how you feel and not guilt-trip you over feeling upset. If they take the time to listen to your side of things, talk about it and allow you to process your emotions in a safe way that makes you feel good, they are definitely interested in your happiness and care about you deeply.
This is also something that will show you whether you will be able to form a true emotional connection with this partner or not. If they are able to help guide you through your emotions and validate what you feel, it means they are also able to do this for themselves. Therefore, this will help both of you grow and form an emotional connection that will bond you even more.
They Prioritise Spending a Lot of Time With You
Another major green flag you can notice is when your partner wants to spend as much time with you as possible. While spending time with the other person is normal at the beginning of every relationship, you want to notice if they prioritize spending time with you over other things.
For example, you know they care about you when they make it their priority to be there for you in important events of your life. They might put a lot of effort into planning a special birthday surprise for you or they might change their plans to make it to your graduation or a family event and spend time with you on this special day.
Even if they just clear their schedule so they are able to spend a night with you, doing nothing special but watching shows and eating pizza, this is another good sign they are invested in the relationship and love paying attention and spending time with you.
Sometimes, it's the smaller actions that matter the most and when you see that someone truly wants to give you all their time and attention, you definitely have a good thing going.
They Show Real Interest in Things You Love
Most people in relationships want to be with someone who shares common interests so they are able to have things to do together. At the same time though, you can't possibly have everything in common with your partner. Your different interests are what make you special and you don't have to only like similar things in order to be together.
On the contrary, you want to have different interests and likes, as these will make the bond between you more interesting. This is when you will be able to see if the other person is truly interested in you. If they show as much interest in your individual hobbies as they do in the ones you have in common, this is a very good sign.
Relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman mentioned in a Popsugar interview that "Real love is demonstrated by small acts of appreciation". One of these is showing real interest in what your partner loves and involving yourself in it, even if you just watch them while they play their favorite game or listen to them talk about their favorite sport.
When each partner has their own interests, there are so many opportunities for both parties to learn new things and do new things together. Explore your differences and see how they can become fun activities. If your partner takes the time to become involved in the things you love doing, even if they wouldn't care about them otherwise, you are definitely in a good relationship.
They Have Introduced You to Their Friends And Family
If you have gotten to know their friends and family and they have openly introduced you to them, this is a great sign that your partner is proud of being with you and is not afraid to show it. Most people hold their friends and family more private in the early stages of dating until they feel secure, as these people mean a lot to them.
This is especially important if their family seems to like you and always wants to invite you around. They have probably spoken good things about you to them and this is an important green flag to notice! Little things like this can make all the difference between two partners and they show their relationships are stable and in it for the long haul.
When your partner encourages you to meet their family and become friends with their friends, this is a major green flag that they want to be with you for the long haul. They wouldn't involve you in their own life so much if they didn't see this seriously and this is a green flag in dating.
