For a long time, I thought relationships were just about chemistry and compatibility. However, over the years and honestly, through a lot of trial and error I’ve learned that what really makes or breaks a relationship is something deeper: emotional safety.
Emotional safety is what allows people to show up as their true selves, to be vulnerable, and to trust that they won’t be shamed, judged, invalidated or manipulated.
When I feel emotionally safe, I can exhale. I can be myself without overthinking, without bracing for criticism, without worrying that I’ll be punished for being honest. But when I don’t feel safe? I shut down. I hide pieces of myself. I shrink. I withdrawal. I give up.
As I continue my self-healing journey, I’m learning what emotional safety means to me—the ways I’d like to receive it and the ways I hope to provide it to my future life partner.
Here are a few practices one can consider when build emotional safety:
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