Good & Healthy Relationship Advice & Tips

1. You feel good about yourself as an individual and not just in relation to your partner. You know you would be OK on your own. You would just prefer to be with this person.

2. You listen to your friends' dating stories and don't feel like you're missing out. Instead, you just feel really happy about your current relationship.

3. You know what you're looking for in a partner. Once upon a time, you were just hoping the cute guy in your English class would like you, in large part because he was cute. Now you can actually define the values and traits that matter to you (in addition to attraction). You can't predict your future, but you have some sense of what you want it to look like and the type of guy you want to be in it.

4. You have other close people in your life. If he's your only friend and confidant, every argument you get in will seem like the end of the world, even if it's something minor. You need an outside support system.

5. You understand that it can't be all about you anymore — and you're OK with that. Unless you're just out of college, you might be a little set in your ways by the time you start thinking of marriage. But if you're going to make it work, you're going to have to take each other's schedules, ideas, tastes, etc. into consideration.

6. You start noticing people's engagement rings more often. It's not that you're obsessing over princess or pear or other shapes. They just happen to catch your eye a little more often.

7. When you think of your future, your partner is part of it. It's not even just specific events, like your friend's wedding or a family vacation. You just look ahead and know you want him to be there.

8. You talk openly about money. Even though it can be a taboo topic, you're going to have to discuss this eventually. If you're already honest with each other when it comes to your finances, it's a good sign that you really trust each other.

9. You have actually talked about getting married. You're not just hoping that a ring will one day appear. You've had conversations with your partner about the fact that you do want to be together forever.

10. Your emotions are actually tied to your partners'. He is upset when you are upset and vice versa. Likewise, you both celebrate and feel pride in each other's accomplishments.

11. You've shared your insecurities and allowed yourself to be vulnerable. You're no longer worried that one day he'll find out that you're not always so breezy and put together. Sometimes you're a total mess. He's seen that, and he's still there.

12. You think about putting him down as your emergency contact. No offense to your parents, but if something happened, he's the one you'd really want by your side.

13. He's your first phone call when you get good news. Again, sorry, Mom!

14. You have absolutely no desire to go back to any of your past relationships. It's not that you're never curious about what's going on with your exes (You're human!), but you don't feel at all wistful about the past. You're much, much happier in the present.

15. You're not holding any grudges. At least not against him. If you're going to be together for years and years and years, you have to be able to let things go. And if something really bothers you, you have to be able to bring it up even if you worry it sounds silly or might lead to a not-so-fun conversation.

16. You never worry about what he's doing when you're not around. You're not the least bit concerned about what will happen at his friend's bachelor party in Vegas. You're just excited to see him when he's back.

17. You want to live together. It's not just because it's the thing to do after you've been together for a certain amount of time. You like seeing each other when you get up in the morning and when you get home at night and when you're just hanging out together on weekends.

18. You've talked about whether you want to have children and you're on the same page. Even if you're not planning to have them for a long time, you need to know where the other one stands.

19. You don't question how he feels about you. You no longer have analyze his texts or wonder if he still likes you. You feel secure that you're both equally into each other.

20. If you couldn't have the wedding of your dreams, you would still marry him. You would give up the dance floor and the flowers and the cake (yes, even the cake) to be with him.