7 Things Every Girl Should do before a New Relationship ...

1. Know How to Take Care of Yourself

Happy couples are willing and able to take care of each other. However, you shouldn't enter a relationship before you're capable of taking care of yourself. If you don't have enough money to support yourself, or if you struggle to do your own laundry, then you'll end up relying on your man to do it all for you. That's unhealthy thinking, because if you two end up breaking up, you'll be left without the skills to survive.

2. Get Closure with Your Exes

Do your crush a favor by waiting to get into a relationship with him. You shouldn't agree to date him until you're completely over all of your exes. If you're still hung up on someone else, then the problems you had with an ex could cause problems in your new relationship. You need to close that door before you open a new one.

3. Establish Standards

Once you fall for someone, it's hard to say goodbye to them, even if you know they're unhealthy for you. That's why it's important to establish standards before you enter a relationship. Figure out where you draw the line when it comes to how a man should treat you. That way, after you start dating someone and they cross that line, you'll know you need to end it. The lines won't be blurry, because you already established them before you met him.

4. Find Friends to Hang out with

You don't want your partner to become your entire life. You should have other people to hang out with, whether they're your close friends or cousins. Just make sure you have a social circle that extends beyond your boyfriend and his buddies.

5. Learn How to Handle Confrontation

You can't be afraid to tell your boyfriend that he made you mad. You can't yell and scream before storming off every single time that he makes you mad, either. It's important for you to learn how to handle confrontation before you get a boyfriend, so that you don't end up getting walked on or pushing him away.

6. Know What You Want in Life

Don't let your man shape your future. If he wants kids, but you don't, then you're allowed to speak your mind about the matter. Since it's hard to stop your man's opinion from bleeding into yours, you should figure out what you want from life before you enter a relationship. That way, you'll be able to tell him where you stand from the get go.

7. Become Comfortable with Your Body

It's important for you to learn to be comfortable with your own body before you let another person start hugging and kissing it. If you aren't, then your self-consciousness could cause you to shy away from affection. So do your best to learn to love yourself.

If you want to have a long, healthy relationship, you should make it your mission to do all of these things. Have you checked off all of the things on this list?