Emotional needs are the conditions or emotions which require you to be happy, feel content and be at peace. Everyone has their own unique set of emotional needs, which might be the outcome of their upbringing, personality or other individual factors. In this blog, you will get to learn 9 emotional needs to consider in a relationship.
Emotional needs are like the basic necessities that are required for a happy and healthy relationship. Although every relationship looks a little different, these 9 emotional needs are a good starting point to consider in a relationship. To know whether you and your partner are getting what you need from the relationship or not.
Here are the 9 emotional needs to consider in a relationship, to make the relationship work without any conflict:
Affection
Affection can be of different types- for many it could be all about loving words or kind gestures or for some it can be about intimacy.
Showing affection to your partner tends to increase the bond and closeness between you & them. It is possible that everyone does not have the same way to show affection towards each other. Some show affection by speaking, some by actions, some by caring, etc.
When the level of affection in your relationship suddenly changes, it’s normal that you start to worry. Many relationship issues stem from a lack of affection. It is pretty normal to wonder why a once affectionate partner seems distant and different.
If this is the case, then a conversation is a good thing to start with. Remember, do not come to any conclusion without asking your partner about their behaviour. Interpreting something can destroy your relationship rather than make things better.
Acceptance
Acceptance indicates that you and your partner abide by each other, as you are. Rather than trying to change something, you both understand and respect who you are. Knowing that your partner accepts you, creates a sense of belongingness.
When you feel like you are not accepted by your partner, you feel as if you are hovering on the edges of their life. Feeling like you don’t belong can make it difficult for you to see yourself in a long-term relationship.
If you want to get more involved in your partner’s life, to know whether your partner accepts you or not, try to have a serious conversation. Instead of wondering and waiting for things to get better, talk directly to your partner.
Also read: What Makes Men Fall in Love? & Romantic Date Ideas For Your Partner (Indoor & Outdoor)
Validation
Even the closest partners don’t agree on everything and that is totally fine. When you don’t completely agree, though, you still want to know what concerns you and understand where it is all coming from is what you need in a relationship.
If you mostly feel validated, but it happens once or twice that you don’t, it’s possible that they had an off day. It would harm no one to have a conversation. But if you consistently feel unheard or invalidated, you start to build up some resentment, so it’s better to address the issue sooner rather than later.
Many couples find it important to be on the same page. When your partner fails to understand your perspective, you will feel misunderstood. If they dismiss your feelings entirely, you feel ignored or disrespected and this creates a tense situation between you both.
Security
A healthy relationship should feel secure, and security can mean many things.
If you feel secure in your relationship, it means you know they respect your boundaries and it is safe to share your feelings with them. They believe in you and support your choices as well. You both have set certain boundaries that help to boost your sense of security. Security could also mean that your partner makes you feel safe and comfortable.
Trust
Trust is one of the most important pillars on which a relationship stands. Trust and security often go hand in hand. It’s hard to feel physically or emotionally safe with someone you can’t trust. When you trust someone, you know that they’re there for you as well as themselves.
Trust doesn’t build immediately; you cultivate it over time. But you could also lose it with a small mistake. Nevertheless, it is possible to repair the broken trust but this requires lots of effort from both partners.
You should try and be upfront about how you would handle the breaches of trust in a relationship. While your specific response might vary based on the context of a given situation. You probably know the behaviours you can’t accept, such as infidelity or lying.
Don’t feel guilty about making those things known to your partner. By confronting and communicating with each other, you both can foster a healthy relationship.
Empathy
Having empathy means you can imagine how someone else feels by being in their shoes. This ability is essential in a relationship since it helps people understand each other and build deeper bonds.
Sometimes, things do not go according to plan and you feel disheartened. Before reacting, try to know the reason. Maybe things did not go accordingly due to some genuine problem or work. In that situation, you should try to understand your partner rather than throw tantrums or fight with them.
Having empathy towards each other can make your relationship grow much stronger and deeper.
Connection
What are relationships for, if you both do not feel connected?
Without connection, you can feel lonely even when you spend most of your time together. It may seem as if you’re just two people who happen to share a living space or spend time together. That’s not how you want your relationship to proceed, right?
It’s okay to not do everything together. In fact, maintaining separate interests and friends can be good for your mental health, as well as your relationship.
But you probably want to feel connected at the same time and that’s perfectly understandable. For this, you and your partner should invest some time in knowing about each other and understanding each other more.
Space
Connection is important and so is space. When it comes to space, asking for what you need is the key to your mental and physical peace.
Having space in a relationship means you both have the freedom to do your own thing. You know you can make your own choices and at the same time, you feel supported. It also means that you enjoy privacy.
Being honest with your partner does not mean that you have to share every thought that crosses your mind. For instance, if you feel angry or annoyed, getting some physical and mental space can help you work through those thoughts in a healthy way. It would also restrain you from taking things out on your partner and hurting them.
Prioritisation
It’s quite normal to want your partner to make you a priority. It will make you feel good when you know that you come first for your partner.
Most people have a few significant relationships. Sometimes, someone else in their life comes first, maybe a friend going through a crisis or a family member experiencing a rough patch. But that should not make you less important. You can still be a part of all that if your partner treats you like a priority.
In general, if you don’t feel like a priority, you will feel that your presence does not affect them or they don’t value the relationship you have with them.
In this case, you should always communicate with your partner about how you feel to make things better, otherwise, you’ll end up losing that person and your relationship with them.
