How to Rebuild Trust in Your Relationship

After a betrayal in your relationship, it might feel impossible to move on as a couple. You may feel like you may never be able to trust your partner again. However, there is hope. A damaged relationship can heal with time, effort, and the restoration of trust. While it can be difficult to navigate the rough waters of a betrayed relationship, seeking and using techniques from therapy can be extremely helpful. Here are a few ways to rebuild trust in your relationship.

Communicate openly

The first step to rebuilding trust is open communication. Open communication gives you both a chance to understand the other person’s problems and barriers.

Sit down together without any distractions (that means put your phone away) and be real with your spouse, and give them the chance to be real as well. What does that mean? Avoid sounding accusatory and use I-statements. Really listen to your partner and ask open ended questions. Don’t focus the conversation on yourself or your hurts. Ask clarifying questions about their needs, desires, and feelings. Make sure your body language communicates that you’re present and open to what they have to say. Finally, make sure open and honest yourself.

Trust yourself.

Even with more communication, you might be questioning your own instincts after a betrayal. However, learning to trust yourself, your feelings, and your ability to move forward is key to rebuilding your relationship.

It is also important to remember trust issues can cause insecurities  about your relationship and yourself. Ultimately, these insecurities can damage your self-esteem over time. Building up your self-esteem takes patience and practice. To combat this, make a list of what you like about yourself or write out positive affirmations to tell yourself daily.

Stop “Checking Up”

Thirdly, reading through text messages or checking their location constantly strips them of the chance to be honest with you. Avoid the temptation of checking their phone or social media for “evidence.” 

Spend time together

Even with all of these things, you cannot reconnect unless you spend more time together. Therefore, it is important to do fun activities together – plan a picnic in the park, take a walk, or just stay in and play board games. No matter what it is, it is important to spend one-on-one time together to reconnect. Sometimes, we get caught up in our daily routines that we forget to date and connect with the ones we love. Get out of your rut by changing your routine and starting something new together like a new hobby that you both can do together.

Seek Counseling Together 

Finally, couples counseling is an excellent way to express your feelings in a mediated space. During a session, a therapist can give you tools and techniques to use at home to better communicate with one another. Couples counseling can help you work through difficult questions and find common ground. 

If you’re looking to overcome trust issues or want to rebuild trust in your relationship, turn to Anchored Hope Counseling in Kannapolis, NC. Anchored Hope Counseling provides a wide range of therapy services from couples counseling to personal one-on-one sessions. View a list of our offerings online, or click here to schedule a consultation today. If you liked these tips remember to subscribe  to our weekly blog for more news and insights.