The foundation of a healthy relationship is trust. If you don’t trust one another, then everything that happens in the relationship will be tainted by that lack of trust. Levels of mistrust can range from slight doubting, to extreme distrust and disbelief. Maybe you worry that your partner cheating on you? Perhaps you doubt he or she really means it when they say they love you? Maybe when your partner says that he or she will do something, you doubt that they actually will? No matter the level of mistrust in a relationship, it is always a handicap to fully embracing your love for one another, and it stops you both being as fulfilled as you could be.

The good news is that there are a few tried and true ways to build trust in a relationship:

1. Accept that it will take effort. Relationships are complicated, and building trust will take active effort from each of you. It may be that there are underlying issues that have caused one of you to lose trust in the other, and resolving the underlying issues may not be easy. Remember: There is no such thing as a quick fix. If the relationship is important to you however, then no doubt you are willing to do whatever is necessary.

2. Have open and honest communication. In a trusting relationship, communication plays the most important role. If you are able to communicate openly and honestly with your boyfriend or girlfriend, then trust and love with flourish. If a husband and wife can talk together without the needing to hold anything back, then there will be no need for mistrust. Communication really is the most important part of any trusting relationship.

3. Be yourself. Sometimes we might be tempted to hide a part of ourselves because we don’t trust that our partner will accept them. This fear of acceptance from a loved one can actually build a wall between lovers, and can develop into a very significant problem. Trust that your partner will accept and love you for who you are, and also be willing to accept and love them for who they are too.

4. Show that you care. Make sure your partner knows how much they mean to you. It’s not enough to just say the words; you need to make sure that your actions reflect the truth within them. If you love them, say that you love them, but also convey that love through your expression, your touch, your patient and considerate nature, and your thoughts. Make sure that whenever you speak words of love, you make them true by embracing them with your entire spirit and body as well.

5. Live in the present. This means that you must let go of the past. Most people have had relationships in where their trust was betrayed. It can be easy to worry about such a situation reoccurring with your current partner. See the present for what it is however: if it is different, accept that happily. If it is the same as a previous relationship that wasn’t healthy, then you might need to resolve the issue with your partner, but make sure you are resolving the issue that exists in the present, rather than trying to resolve the issue that was in the past.

6. Forgive. None of us are perfect. Love won’t stop mistakes being made in a relationship or a marriage, and when mistakes are made, it can make it hard to trust each other. Accept that we all do things that we regret, even in a loving relationship. If you are both willing to work together in making sure such mistakes are minimised as far as possible, then you should be able to move on. Only by first forgiving one another can trust begin to be rebuilt.

Trust is one of the most important ways to Build a Relationship.