Toxic relationships can cause one to feel unsupported, misunderstood and trapped; usually caused by destructive communication between one another. High school relationships tend to not last long due to numerous issues that arise during the relationship. To strengthen and maintain a healthy relationship, one must communicate, apologize and show love and appreciation to one another.

According to Healthline, both partners should feel comfortable communicating with one another about their concerns or how they feel. The refusal to speak their mind remains an issue in high school relationships, which leads to frustration for the partner; neither can read minds, therefore, communication between one another can help improve a relationship. Staying quiet can bring up issues in the relationship; I-statements such as “I do not like how you treat me” when communicating stands effective, and one should provide time for the partner to think about it. If either in the relationship feels uncomfortable in sharing their concerns, such a relationship suffers from great trust issues. Both parties should feel comfortable speaking about issues concerning their success, failures and issues without fear of judgment.

“Lack of communication, people do what they want to do and do not care about the other person’s feelings. I feel like when couples communicate they have the chance to understand each other’s perspectives,” sophomore Elson Gichuhi said.

In high school, jealousy and trust issues remain issues and cause relationships to end. People cannot build trust in a short time; when one feels jealous, they should not act upon it hastily—instead reflect upon it and communicate. By developing strong communication, the partners learn to trust one another to keep the relationship stable and strong. Developing trust means that both partners hold their best interests in mind and respect one another’s choices. They trust that neither will cheat and feel physically and emotionally safe with one another.

“To develop trust with your partner, it’s important to spend time with them, to get a grasp of what they think and not to make outrageous assumptions and just let them prove to you who they are,” Gichuhi said.

Conflict will arise in a relationship, but how they resolve the conflict remains crucial. Particularly in high school, both suffer from the inability to let down their pride and admit their wrongdoings. When conflict arises, one needs to state how they feel politely over the given conflict and the other must listen quietly and respect it. When they address said issues with no judgment, they can come to a solution or compromise peacefully. People can develop long-lasting high school relationships if they can follow these tips.