How to Set Relationship Standards That Protect Your Peace

Have you ever paused to ask yourself:
What do I really want from my relationships?
Not just romantic ones but family ties, friendships, even work dynamics.

Our earliest relationships are given to us via family, rooted in blood. Then come childhood friendships, often built on proximity: whoever happened to sit beside us on the school bus or swing next to us at recess.

As we grow into high school and college, we begin to bond through both shared interests and proximity. In adulthood, many of our relationships continue to form by default: built on history, convenience, obligation, or routine.

But what if you built relationships based on values?

Maybe you’ve been in relationships—family, friendship, romantic, or professional—that drained you. Where connection was built on guilt, not mutual respect. Where you gave and gave, but left feeling unseen, unsupported, and quietly resentful.

There is another way to relate (pun intended!)

You get to set your own standards.
You are allowed to choose relationships that are rooted in:

• Safety

• Reciprocity

• Presence

• Joy

With people who value emotional responsibility—not just those who want access to your heart, but who are willing to honor it.

People who let you show up exactly as you are.
Who help you grow, keep you grounded, and mirror back the love you so freely give.

And you’re allowed to step away from the ones that:

• Make your body tense the moment they enter the room

• Rely on your constant labor—emotional, physical, energetic—without giving anything back

• Only value you when you’re being useful, asking you to earn your place through sacrifice

You get to build relationships where love is mutual, energy flows both ways, and your peace is preserved.

You get to raise your standards.
Ahh—the beauty of being an adult!