How To Rebuild Trust

When you have faith in your partner, they are your foundation. You feel confident in believing that no matter what happens or who tries to get between the two of you, your relationship will remain rock solid. Having a safe and secure connection is fulfilling because there isn't anything better than having someone by our side through thick and thin!

Reconciling Broken Trust 

However, if that sacred trust is broken, it can feel like the ultimate betrayal. Often, it's a wound that never truly heals. Committing to forgiveness is the only way to make your way through the following years without an ongoing internal struggle with trust as you interact in new relationships or return to rebuild the damages. 

The pain of betrayal is universal; even people who have not experienced exactly what you have can often empathize with your situation, and their heart aches for you. No one likes to feel like something changed with your partner that suddenly makes trust less valuable than before. It is a painful process to experience, and deciding how to proceed is very difficult. 

Rebuilding Trust With Your Partner 

The rebuilding of trust after a breach is often gut wrenching and requires dedicated patience from both parties. It's important to remember that even if you feel like nothing will ever be the same again, there are ways for you and your partner to work through the obstacles together.  Stay committed to your relationship, devote time to rebuilding, and believe that repairs are worth the work. Rekindling your trust by spending time together running errands, visiting family, supporting the USANA Foundation, or attending counseling can help build positive memories. 

However, trust is tricky to navigate in relationships even before it is damaged. So, to regain confidence, the person who harmed your fidelity must be committed to change. 

Allow No Excuses

To move forward, a new precedent of honesty must take hold. Your partner must accept their actions as their own. No matter what happened or how it happened, they must own their mistakes and not place the blame elsewhere. 

Accept Only an Honest Apology

Starting with ownership, your partner should then move to an honest apology. Remember, being sorry for getting caught and honestly apologizing for harming your relationship, trust, and feelings are two very different things. Only accept sincere and heartfelt apologies to repair your relationship.

Remember Healing Takes Time 

Set ground rules for your partner. Be sure that they understand that they did damage to your relationship. While it is not healthy to hold mistakes over their head, they do need to know that it will take time to rebuild trust before things start to feel natural again. Rushing the process can further harm your feelings and the relationship. 

Rebuilding Trust on Your Own 

Sometimes, it is not the right choice to rebuild trust with a partner who has damaged your relationship. You might decide that moving forward without them is an ideal option for you to heal. However, it is still necessary to work to rebuild your trust in other people. To help yourself trust more freely again, keep the following tidbits in mind:

• You had nothing to do with why your partner invalidated your trust. 
• It is perfectly acceptable to forgive your partner without forgetting the signs of harm. 
• Not everyone will disrespect your boundaries and your trust. 
• You deserve to love and be loved free of negative expectations. 
• Healing takes time and is a process-oriented journey. 

No matter which path you decide to take, rebuilding trust will be a necessary component of the healing process. Give yourself grace and patience as your journey unfolds.