7 Reasons Why Independence Is Important In a Relationship (3 of 4)

Growing independently makes you stronger together

If you are constantly focused on the needs of someone else, you can begin to lose sight of your own. This can easily make you forget what direction you need to take for yourself, as you are constantly trying to guide your partner down their specific path. A dynamic like this can lead to less growth for each person, and begin a codependent bond that is ultimately detrimental to both people. But when you both make yourself your first priority, you build yourselves up and can each stand on your own two feet. And this only makes your union that much stronger.

Independence reduces expectations

When you lead with a lot of expectations, you ultimately set yourself up for failure. This does not mean that you should abandon your needs and standards for a relationship. This simply means that having expectations of your partner to support you in a dependent manner will constantly create a narrative of lack and disappointment. This is because no one can fully live up to all expectations created on the idea of dependency. If they are operating in self-love and independence, they have to be selfish and show up for themselves first. When both people love themselves first, they can remain open to the possibilities of the relationship and have a greater chance of experiencing happiness and satisfaction from their partner.