Ways to mend broken trust

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Felicia Lockett, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Trust is one of the key aspects of any relationship. It is something that takes years and years to build but it can be broken in less than a second. Gaining trust after losing it becomes very difficult as your partner will not be able to differentiate the truth from a lie. Losing trust is something that can destroy a relationship. It is one of the reasons why people who have just come out of a relationship are not able to go into a new one immediately. This is because they find it really hard to trust someone else after a break-up as their previous encounter would have done something to break that trust. However, for those whose trust has been betrayed while still in the relationship, there is hope to regain that trust and mend those mistakes. Here are some ways in which you can overcome broken trust in a relationship.

Accept the mistake and move on

One of the first steps towards rebuilding trust with your partner is to accept that you have made a mistake. For any rehabilitation process, it is always important to know where you went wrong and how you landed in that position in the first place. Do not try and justify your wrong action as it will only make the process harder. Instead, look towards the future and find ways in which you can avoid making that mistake again.

Apologize

The biggest mistake that you can make after you have broken someone’s trust is to not apologize. It is important that you do not give a superficial apology but instead make a sincere one so that your partner know that you are sorry for what you have done. Remember, the point of an apology is to make a statement that a mistake was committed and that it will never occur again. Once you have apologized for the first time after breaking someone’s trust, you must make sure that you do not have to apologize for the same mistake again. If you reach that position, regaining trust afterward will become harder.

Empathize

Empathy is a characteristic of a person with good moral values. In order for your partner to trust, he/she must know that you are a person who values the moral aspect more than the physical aspect in a relationship. Stepping into your partner’s shoes after you have broken your trust with him/her will help you realize what your partner felt when the mistake was made. It is not nice when a person breaks your trust, so you can imagine what the person might feel when their trust in you has been broken. Always think of your partner whenever you make a big decision in your life. In order to strengthen the relationship, both partners must be on the same page emotionally.

Restitution

Although this may not be a concrete solution to regain broken trust, it shows your partner that you are willing to go the extra mile to make things right again. You may do this in the form of a deed or in a materialistic manner but do not expect that it will change everything. It will definitely not win back the trust but it will show your partner that you truly care about them and that you do not want to hurt him/her ever again.