The Importance of Accountability<\/strong><\/p>\nWhile effective communication, reliability and empathy are critical for building trust, there is another important element that is often overlooked \u2014 being accountable. <\/p>\n
When you make a mistake or let your partner down, take responsibility. <\/p>\n
Don’t make excuses or shift blame. A sincere apology and commitment to do better goes a long way in repairing trust.<\/p>\n
And the best way to ruin an apology is to stick the word \u2018But\u2026\u2019 on the end of it. <\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Because \u2018But\u2026\u2019 cancels out an apology.<\/p>\n
An apology helps to defuse a situation, it\u2019s not an end to a conversation. An apology allows space for you and your partner to move forwards and to have further conversations.<\/p>\n
Moving on\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026Accountability also means not hiding things from your partner, even if you think it may upset them. <\/p>\n
This can be especially tough.<\/p>\n
Especially if you\u2019ve lost trust because you\u2019ve been discovered having an affair, or you\u2019ve disclosed to your partner you\u2019ve had an affair.<\/p>\n
Too many times I\u2019ve witnessed the damage caused when the \u2018Involved Partner\u2019 (the one who had the affair) is economical with the truth. <\/p>\n
It usually goes something like this:<\/p>\n
The involved partner wants to minimise the hurt they\u2019ve caused to their partner. So they hold important details back. If those details are later found out (they usually are) the discovery doesn\u2019t just knock the hurt partner back a few steps.<\/p>\n
Oh no\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026It totally wipes out any trust rebuilt and can destroy the relationship.<\/p>\n
Secrecy erodes trust quickly. <\/p>\n
Bring issues into the light through respectful discussion. This allows you both to understand what happened, why it happened, and how to avoid repeats.<\/p>\n
Finally, hold yourself accountable by following through on promises. <\/p>\n
Do what you say you will do. If circumstances prevent you from keeping a commitment, explain this to your partner and identify how you will get back on track. Accountability demonstrates you take the relationship seriously. <\/p>\n
Overall, being accountable is about owning your words and actions. It shows your partner they can rely on you because you hold yourself to high standards, even when you stumble. Accountability helps build trust consistently over time.<\/p>\n
Don’t Give Up – Seek Support If Needed <\/strong><\/p>\nNow, are these things always easy to do? <\/p>\n
Of course not. <\/p>\n
Anything worth doing is rarely easy. <\/p>\n
But remember, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about making progress. And most importantly, it’s about showing up, even when things are tough.<\/p>\n
If you’re finding trust in your relationship challenging, you don’t have to do it alone. <\/p>\n
As a couples only counsellor, I’ve seen the incredible transformations that can happen with professional guidance and support. <\/p>\n
So don’t hesitate to seek help if you need it. <\/p>\n
Are you ready to build (or rebuild) trust in your relationship? <\/p>\n
Let’s take that first step together<\/a> <\/p>\nRemember, it’s all about progress, not perfection.<\/p>\n
To your relationship success,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi there, it’s Marcus here. I hope this post finds you in a good place in your life and, if not, that it helps you move towards one. Today we’re going to be talking about trust \u2013 a pretty big word, isn’t it? It’s the foundation of every healthy relationship and, yet, it can be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1329"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1341,"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329\/revisions\/1341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southdevoncouplestherapy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}