Health & Sexuality

Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships

Last Reviewed:

June, 2025

Reviewed By:

JES Legal Specialist

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BIG IDEA
You deserve to feel valued, respected, and safe with everyone you spend time with. Don't settle for anything less.


 

Green flag or red flag?

How can you tell if a relationship is healthy or not? Here are some things to look out for. Green means healthy! Red means watch out.

Being Yourself

 

You can be yourself. You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not.

Isolation

They try to keep you away from your friends and family. You feel isolated. You might feel like the person is the only one who you can rely on. 

Bullying

They can be mean, hurtful, or try to control you. 
They put down how you dress, your culture, where you come from, etc.
They might act more friendly when you are alone together than when their friends are around. 
They play mean tricks on you. 
They make you feel small. 
 

Kindness and Support

You are kind to each other. 
You say and do nice things to make each other happy. 
In a healthy relationship, people lift each other up and cheer each other on. 
You’re there for each other through good times and bad, offering encouragement and help.
 

Gaslighting

They make you doubt your own feelings, perceptions, or sanity.
They constantly tell you that you're too sensitive, that you're overreacting or that they are “just joking when they say or do mean and hurtful things.
 

Listening

They care about what you have to say and listen when you talk.

Controlling and Jealous

Always suspicious about your activities. 
Controls you with threats.
Control how much time you spend with friends and family.
Sulks when you don’t do what they want.
Threatens suicide when you try to pull back from the relationship.
 

Respect

People in a healthy relationship respect each other's feelings and ideas. 
They don't say mean things or hurt your feelings on purpose.
You respect each other's culture.
 

Safety

You always feel safe and they don’t make you feel scared or worried. 

Secrets

They ask you to keep secrets from people you trust. 

Dig Deeper

Safety

Remember if you or someone else in your family is in immediate DANGER: Call 9-1-1 or your local police station if 911 is not available (if you can, go to another room or a neighbour's place to call).

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