Trust can be one of the hardest things to fully achieve in a relationship. Even if you know deep down that your partner cares for and respects you, trust isn't always easy to give — especially if you've been scorned before. It takes serious work to achieve total relationship trust, and for those who have managed to get there: What's your secret?! If you're wondering if your relationship is full of trust, or if you and your partner are on the right path, I reached out several relationship experts for their take on what a real trusting relationship looks like.
First, it's important to understand what trust really is. "Trust is a feeling that expresses your fundamental sense of peace and comfort about humans' most basic fear: being abandoned," Dr. LeslieBeth Wish, licensed clinical psychotherapist, relationship expert, and author of the Training Your Love Intuition tells Elite Daily. "Trust means you can bare your soul, your flaws, and your doubts about yourself — without worrying that your partner will leave you or cheat on you."
"Trusting your partner allows you to feel safe and warm," Wish explains. "After all, what's the point of being with someone who does not make you feel that way?" Hard agree.
01You and your partner don't question each other.
One of the biggest signs that you and your partner fully trust each other is that you don't really question each other. "Your partner never challenges you, 'quizzes' you, or gets upset with you when you spend time with someone else," Wish says. "Even if another person might have a romantic interest in one of the partners, the other person trusts that his or her partner will handle the situation."
02You feel secure.
It might be easy to think that your partner is upset with you when they seem off, but Wish explains that if your relationship is full of trust, that doesn't happen. "When it is obvious that something is bothering one of the partners, the other partner does not automatically assume that the issue is about them or the relationship," Wish insists.
03You're OK when you're apart.
In any relationship, it's impossible to be together 24/7/365. And TBH, that's probably a good thing. In a trusting partnership, you don't have to be together every second of every day, and you're comfortable when you're apart. "They don't worry about issues of cheating, doing drugs, or anything else that would concern them," Wish says, of partners who trust each other fully.
You can't watch over your partner every minute of every day, and in a relationship with plenty of trust, you don't feel like you have to.
04You fully respect each other.
Finally, Wish explains that couples who trust each other also respect each other. More than that, they "tell each other, as well as other people," that they respect the other's opinions, wishes, and desires.
Establishing trust isn't always easy, but Wish maintains that it's worth it. "Trust works in a relationship when both partners feel they have made a wise choice of partner," Wish concludes. "Often, in happy relationships, the partners say they feel 'blessed' or 'lucky' to have found each other." Trust is crucial in a relationship, but it's also hard to find and maintain. If you and your partner have established all these qualities and more, hold on to them tight!
