Relationships

Once you've met somebody you like and started to date them, then that's the hard part over with - right? Wrong. Relationships need you to spend time and effort on them to be successful and to survive the problems and changes that may come your way.

One of the essential elements to any successful relationship is compatibility; sharing some common ground and enjoying that spark of chemistry can go a long way to ensuring a happy and healthy relationship. In this section, we look at some of the basic ingredients that go towards determining your compatibility with someone, along with a guide to check that you have the right chemistry together.

Unfortunately, not all relationships are straightforward, and we investigate some of the more difficult ones you might encounter, such as holiday or office romances, rebound relationships and getting back together with an ex.

We also take a look at relationships that are best avoided, including abusive relationships and liaisons with married or unavailable partners. These may be damaging to your emotions, your self-esteem, your friendships or even to your health.

In addition, we've put together some information on commitment - will your partner refuse to commit? Do they push you away if you get too close? Find out some of the common issues relating to commitment and how you can deal with them.