Love & relationship: The Five Cs That Matter in a Commitment

Commitment is a sacred thing. When we commit, we feed the connection with reassurance, giving a part of ourselves with a promise to make it work. However, navigating relationships can be tough and confusing. People tend to idealize romance but there are aspects of romance that have to be worked on for it to remain steady, reliable, and healthy. Here are some factors that can help keep love healthy and balanced. And yes, I made it all Cs to make it easier to remember.

• Consideration - What does it mean to be considerate? It means compromising for each other. A relationship wherein only one party tends to understand, listen, and appreciate can lead to exhaustion for that person. True partnership doesn't ask you to sacrifice everything and do the lifting alone, it means meeting each other halfway, wherein both parties show that they can compromise and sacrifice for one another. It isn't built in perfection but is sustained by two people who may not see eye to eye all of the time but consider each other in every step of the way.

• Curiosity - Some relationships turn sour, some turn stagnant while others might call it 'stability'. After years of being together, when afternoons can get boring and nights can get quiet, what sets stagnancy apart from stability is the interest in one another. It's about still being involved and attentive to your partner's needs—if something seems wrong, you don't always assume, sometimes, you still need to ask. However, curiosity is not just about being attentive or rediscovering your partner's new quirks but of being curious together. To move forward with each other and keep curiosity alive, it is necessary to do new activities or explore new things together.

• Communication - Possibly the most cliché but nevertheless very important. It is what opens the door for a true connection—the exchanging of sentiments with honesty and openness. No matter how much you know each other, nobody can read between the lines perfectly each time. Without communication, frustrations pile up, overthinking occurs, and conclusions become the 'truth'. Both parties may feel misunderstood and the risk of misalignment grows. And slowly, two people grow apart. When you communicate, you take the burden off your end and share it with your person. It also welcomes your partner's opinion, giving them space to clarify things with you.

• Comprehension - It's not just about communicating, but about actually absorbing what was shared with you, considering the reason behind it, and reflecting on it. It is what bridges communication and understanding, going an extra mile beyond just being a speaker or a listener. It is the act of sitting on the thought behind your partner's actions, words, emotions, why they feel the way they do, why they do the things they do. Comprehension is the pause before the response, or the silence you take to process a thought—the attempt to understand where they were coming from.

• Compassion — The most important, because it is love in its most active form; it is the source all four above came from. It involves care, kindness, and empathy, and its most notable aspect is that it involves action. When you show compassion, you don't just feel sympathy for someone—you actually do something to help them. It involves movement, taking the necessary measures to make your partner feel you are there. This is not just about feelings or ideology, but about making a tangible effort to help and nurture. It is the factor that counts the most, grounding everything you do into something palpable.

Consideration stabilizes, curiosity keeps it alive, communication connects, comprehension deepens, and compassion is the engine that governs everything else :)