Loving someone is not easy because you have to be considerate and take care of your partner's choices and wellbeing all the time. It takes a lot of effort to value someone so much that you can do almost anything to keep them happy. It’s the strength of a relationship that can make you ready for any kind of challenge, and you face all of it to be with someone who supports you and loves you unconditionally.
While all of this sounds beautiful and magical, there are some boundaries that need to be set up in relationships. You need to determine the fine line between making efforts and making sacrifices for your soulmate. Love brings a lot of change in one’s life, but these changes should not affect a person’s individuality.
If you want to be in a healthy, eternal relationship while embracing your own personality, never make these sacrifices for a relationship:
Your individuality
Never change yourself for anything in the world, not even for the love of your life. You can certainly work on improving yourself but don’t give up on things that make you who you are. If your partner really loves you, they will love you without any conditions. They will not try to change the way you look, the way you dress, etc.
You should only choose to change these things as per your own will. Don’t let someone tell you what will make you look better because if they do, they don’t care about your inner beauty. And you should stay away from such shallow people.
Your beliefs
If you believe in something, don’t abandon it just because your partner thinks it’s less cool. Whether it’s spiritual or anything else, your beliefs are meant to be formed by your own choice. Nobody else should have a problem with your faith and values. You can be a perfect girlfriend without sacrificing your beliefs for the relationship.
Your friends and family
One of the most important things in life that you should never sacrifice for a romantic relationship is your bond with everyone else in life. Your friends and family form a special part of your life and you should never sideline them just because now you have started dating someone.
Give time to everyone and value everyone’s presence in your life. Even if your best friend doesn’t like your boyfriend, you don’t have to choose between them. Try to keep things cordial and communicate. As Phoebe Buffay said, "Boyfriends and girlfriends will come and go but this (friendship) is for life."
Your principles
If you are a strongly opinionated person who is very much affected by what’s right and wrong, you don’t need to care about what anyone else thinks about it. Even if it’s your partner who tells you otherwise, stay consistent and do what your principles suggest.
Abandoning your own principles for the sake of a romantic relationship would mean that your relationship is weakening you instead of being your pillar of strength. You can date someone with different views by keeping your mind open and having a dialogue about your differences like two mature individuals.
Your freedom
If you love being free and take care of your finances on your own, don’t let your date interfere with that. If you like splitting the bill and don’t want to accept expensive gifts from your partner, make it clear right away. They shouldn’t have a problem with that. If there are certain things that you like handling on your own so be it. That’s who you are. Stay the same and don’t sacrifice your independence and free will to appease your partner.
Your self-respect
Don’t let the actions of your partner harm your self-respect in any way. You can choose to leave if the relationship is not giving you what you deserve. If you are hurt, you have the right to decide your next step. You can’t keep forgiving someone or keep going back to them if they don’t respect or understand your worth. Don’t let them treat you like trash because you deserve much better from life.
Your ambitions
Everyone has some dreams no matter how small or big they are. While some people are highly ambitious and want to achieve a lot in a very short time, some find peace in doing little things for others. Whatever your goal is, don’t abandon it for a relationship. You are worthy of all the success and happiness because you have worked for it. Don’t let a relationship determine your true worth. You are much more than a girlfriend or boyfriend. You can be whoever you aspire to be.
Your decisions
You are free to make your own decisions as long as it doesn’t involve another individual. Don’t feel guilty for making choices that others don’t understand. If you are an adult, you don’t need someone else’s permission or approval to do things in life. You and your partner should only be concerned about decisions that can affect your relationship and those should be discussed mutually. Other than that, you can ask your partner for suggestions, but your life choices should be yours to make.
Self love
Just because you are in a relationship, it doesn’t mean you have to devote all your time to your significant other. Have your own interests and pursue them. Take out some time for self-care and pamper yourself with spa and skincare sessions occasionally. Do things that you enjoy even if it means being away from your partner for a while. You can also go on a solo trip or dine out alone to treat yourself. There’s no shame in enjoying some 'me time’. It’s in fact a sign of a healthy relationship and indicates that your partner isn’t insecure about you.