Good & Healthy Relationship Advice & Tips

One of the more interesting facts in Esther Perel's new book, State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, comes near the beginning.

Recently, there was a news report about a young Ghanaian man who had wedded an ‘oburoni’ or white man. This Ghanaian attended Achimota School.

In fact, he was one of my top class chemistry students who, through exemplary character and good qualities, rose to be the senior prefect of the school and later obtained graduate degrees in some of the most prestigious institutions in the United States of America.

Look, no relationship and no person are perfect. Navigating through life as a couple is tough stuff — but that totally doesn't give someone a free pass to manipulate you and treat you like crap.

The only problem is, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between normal relationship issues and truly toxic habits. But you might want to say goodbye fast to a partner who displays any of these signs:

There are certain important qualities we’re taught to look for in our romantic partners: Are they honest? Are they strong communicators? Are they good at handling money? And the list goes on. 

But what about the less obvious signs that someone will make a great husband or wife? We asked relationship experts to tell us what seemingly small things actually say a lot about a person. Below, find out what marriage therapists, psychologists and authors had to say: 

An Italian woman has married herself in a ceremony complete with white dress, three-layer wedding cake, bridesmaids and 70 guests.

"I firmly believe that each of us must first of all love ourselves," said Laura Mesi, a 40-year-old fitness trainer. "You can have a fairytale even without the prince."

The ceremony carries no legal weight.

You may want more dates … or you may want better dates. You probably want dates with people who have the potential to be the love of your life.

Whatever the case, it’s wise to pause and ask if you’re doing all you can to attract the best.

When relationships start out, it’s easy to fall head over heels right away, thinking maybe he’s “the one.” This phase, however, is not the ideal time to start planning a future together — especially because you’re only seeing the very best version of your partner.

If you allow yourself to get blinded by this fantasy, you could miss the real signs that show what type of boyfriend (or husband) he’ll be later on in the relationship.

It doesn't take long when you're dating to feel exhausted, jaded, and not a little bit, well, hopeless.

If that's you then it's time to graduate to the big leagues and move on to a dating appthat's actually worth your valuable time, like InnerCircle. They do all the heavy lifting so you don't have to, using a screening process for their members that filters out all the losers you have ZERO time for.

Don't let your first date attire ruin your chances for a second date. What you wear is the perfect opportunity to present who you are before you say a word.

To win your date over with captivating style, consider the location, time of day and weather as these factors will weigh heavily on your attire choice and stay away from our top five things you shouldn’t wear on a first date.

Many women struggle to get their man to commit to them, whether it be through a marriage proposal, moving in together or simply agreeing to be in an exclusive relationship.

It can be very tempting to stick around and see if things ever change between the two of you.

You may think you've learned a thing or two about what the opposite sex enjoys in the bedroom.

But have you ever stopped to think about what they don't like?

According to Femail's sex and relationships expert Tracey Cox, there's a whole host of things women do during sex that men can't stand - and vice versa.

A British wartime bride and her Canadian veteran husband have died five hours apart - a month after celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary.

George and Jean Spear met in 1941 at a dance hall near London, while he was stationed in Britain during the Second World War.

The couple passed away in an Ottawa hospital on Friday after Mrs Spear, 94, was admitted for pneumonia.

One interesting thing about divorce is that it is leveler; victims cut across wide spectrum from the rich to the poor, young and old, Christians and non-Christians. Divorce also has no respect for life.

For example, whereas a client’s marriage lasted for just a day, it is known that in1984, Simon and Ida stern of the United States ended their 60-year old marriage when he was 97 and she was 90 years old!

Who hasn’t tossed and turned in bed the night before a big date trying to account for all the things that could go wrong?

There’s nothing you can do about those things — which makes it especially important to get a grip on factors you can control, the self-inflicted catastrophes that are avoidable with a little sensitivity and awareness.

The reason the windshield is so big and the rearview mirror is so small is because where we’re going is much more important than where we’ve been.

Sometimes, while stepping forward into the world of dating, we unfortunately get tripped up by still being overly focused on the past. So, how do you stop letting your Exes get in the way?

God created us social beings to be companions, to accept and spend time with each other. No doubt, Akans say wiase yetra no baano baano or we are created to live in pairs.

The foundation for living together in marriage is friendship because whereas romantic love fades, friendship stays to sustain marriage.

You always hear that women are impossible to ‘get’. I think the opposite. I think they are easy to understand…AND…easy to please.

I didn’t always know that. Like most men, I used to view women as beautiful, exotic creatures that are unpredictable and impossible to figure out. I wasn’t doing the math.

A breakup is usually about as pleasant as a root canal, with a big dose of emotional turmoil thrown on top. Even if you know the relationship is kaput, the splitting process can bring out the worst in people.

To help yourself, and avoid giving your ex ammo by seeing you hurt or vengeful, try focusing on the bright side. Yes, there is one!