10 relationship commandments all women must follow

If you are in a relationship, your life will probably be better off if you know how to manage it effectively and appropriately.

This may seem easier said than done, but you can learn how to make your relationship as healthy and happy with the right mindset and some helpful relationship advice.

Check out these 10 commandments to keep your relationship strong!

1) Respect your man (do not control, order, etc.)

Every guy wants a girl who respects him. There is no need to try and control or order your man around.

When he walks into a room, don't ignore him. Instead of thinking about what you're going to do after dinner with your friends, focus on him and pay attention to what he says.

Guys also love it when their significant other asks them for advice so they can feel needed and wanted; when you ask for his advice instead of trying to come up with a solution on your own, it shows that you respect his opinion his overall decision-making ability.

This will make him feel more confident in himself and increase his attraction toward you.

It will also show that you are not just someone who takes advantage of him but rather someone who appreciates everything he does for you.

He will be more likely to want to spend time with you because he feels like you care about what he thinks and feels, which makes him happy.

2) Do everything in your power to make him happy

This sounds counterintuitive, but it isn't. If you want to keep a man from straying, you have to be committed to his happiness above your own.

It doesn't mean that you sacrifice everything for him and treat him like a king—but it does mean that every decision you make in your life is made with an eye toward how he will react.

You don't let another guy hit on you because he might find out; you don't flirt with other men in front of him because he might get jealous; and so on. When a man knows that his woman has made his needs and wants her number one priority, he won't feel threatened by anyone else.

And when he feels secure in your love, he'll never stray.

3) Keep the romance alive

You don't have to plan expensive dates and drop cash on jewelry, but you should think about doing something nice for your man now and then.

Nothing kills romance faster than a partner who complains when flowers are out of season or talk about money.

Pick up his favorite pizza one night, call him on FaceTime while at work, or surprise him with breakfast in bed – trust us: these gestures go a long way!

It doesn't hurt to remind him how lucky he is that you chose him either; sometimes, we need a reminder from time to time.

4) Listen to him without judgment

While men communicate their problems differently than women, that doesn't mean they should be ignored.

If you tell your boyfriend what to do, you'll likely get an argument.

Instead of forcing him to talk about his feelings, listen without judgment and let him vent if he needs to.

As long as he knows you're there for him and respects whatever decision he makes, it will work out fine in the end.

You may not understand why he behaves a certain way (which can affect your ability to predict his reaction), but showing unconditional support is one of the most significant ways to make your guy feel loved.

5) let him protect you

Many women start a new relationship with an if-then attitude.

If he takes me out to dinner, I'll know he cares about me.

Or, If he buys me flowers, I'll know he loves me. But it rarely works that way—and may work against you.

When you expect your boyfriend to prove his affections through material things or special outings, you place him under pressure and make him feel like there is something that he needs to do for your feelings to be reciprocated.

Your boyfriend should want to protect you because he wants to, not what might happen if he doesn't.

He should want to treat you well because of who you are, not what might happen if he doesn't.

And when we can love someone without expectations or conditions attached, we can genuinely experience true freedom and joy within our relationships.

6) Don't talk about past relationships or other men

You might think it's wise to vent your frustrations and give your girlfriends an inside scoop on how they can avoid making the same mistakes.

But don't do it—they aren't as interested in hearing about some other man as you are, so save yourself some time.

If you want to talk about how a guy was terrible for you, turn it around and focus on how YOU were awful for him.

Did he tell you that something wasn't right, but you didn't listen?

Think of ways YOU could have changed or fixed things if YOU had known better at that time.

This way, you're showing your friends what not to do without talking about anyone else.

7) Enjoy what he provides you

Everyone wants a good catch, but there is plenty of fish in the sea.

The key to keeping him around is to appreciate what he's doing for you right now and not fixate on what else you might be missing out on.

You can't change his mind if he knows you want something different or if he thinks that you see him as anything less than your idea of perfection—so keep your expectations at realistic levels and enjoy what you have.

He likes being appreciated, so don't take his effort for granted.

By expressing your appreciation for him, you are likely to make him think that being with you is a good decision, too, even when it isn't always clear why that would be.

8) Never manipulate his emotions

Manipulating someone's emotions is unfair, immoral, and highly manipulative.

Manipulation generally results in a loss of respect for your partner since he knows you are being dishonest to achieve a particular result.

If you aren't being honest about how you feel, then your partner may worry that anything he says or does will be manipulated against him somehow.

Eventually, manipulation becomes predictable and no longer works—and nobody likes feeling like they can't trust their significant other.

Be honest with how you think—and allow him to do the same—so both of you know where an emotional outburst ever blindsides each other stands, and neither.

9) Love yourself first and foremost

Once you begin to love yourself, you'll be able to assess better relationships for what they are.

You won't settle for anything less than you deserve and will have no trouble leaving someone who isn't a good fit for you.

Most importantly, though, you'll never allow yourself to be mistreated because—as much as we don't like it—we all treat people how we feel about ourselves.

Instead of demanding that someone treat you better, start treating yourself better by practicing healthy habits such as journaling, eating well, and working out regularly.

And if a partner ever mistreats you? Leave immediately! Love is not unconditional and certainly shouldn't be expected from others when we aren't willing to give it in return.

Your happiness should always come first.

The bottom line: love yourself before you can truly love anyone else.

10) Be genuine in all situations

No matter how you feel about it, your relationship will not be perfect 100 percent of the time.

That's okay because relationships aren't supposed to be perfect; they're genuine and honest.

When a disagreement comes up or something upsetting happens, do what you can to keep your cool and act in a way that reflects positively on yourself and your partner.

Your actions could help diffuse an unpleasant situation or give you both a chance to work things out and clear things up completely.

After all, no one wants their love life broadcast across social media for others to see and judge them for--no matter how right you are in terms of an argument.

In other words, don't let your emotions get the best of you.

In many cases, being genuine is more important than being right.