Open relationships are a wonderfully explorative niche that’s becoming increasingly popular with open-minded, progressive adults. Regardless of your sexual orientation, there are a few different ways to be in a healthy, open relationship. If you’re part of a couple, you might expand your relationship to welcome a third person, thus embracing a polyamorous lifestyle. Or you may remain each other’s primary partners while having the freedom to explore other casual relationships on the side. Either way, non-monogamy is on the rise.

But like all pairings, there are ways to share your life with others who enjoy a luxurious lifestyle in a way that’s happy, healthy, and fulfilling.

Because more people are involved, the need for communication becomes heightened, requiring people to employ more honesty, empathy, and direct communication in their lives. Feelings of jealousy, confusion, and envy are not uncommon, but there are ways to cope with them.

If you are curious about what it may be like to partake in an open relationship or would like to enhance the success of the one you are currently in, these eight communication strategies are designed to help you grow and thrive in a non-monogamous arrangement.

Learn from other people’s open relationships

Gathering communication strategies for open relationships can start with some on-the-ground research. Talk to the people who live a luxurious lifestyle and have maintained open relationships for longer than you have. They can offer you words of wisdom through their learned experiences.

You can do this by chatting to friends or family members you know personally or joining open relationship community forums online. Find out which communication strategies tend to work best for people with similar relationship arrangements to your own.

Spend one-on-one time with each partner

Neglecting to spend time with and communicate with your partner individually without the distraction of other partners can have serious consequences in an open relationship.

While it may be true that you are in an open relationship, it’s crucial to pay your individual partner the attention they deserve and create opportunities for intimacy.

Use this time to explore lavish dating at its finest. You can then focus on your one-on-one relationship within the broader arrangement and discuss what works for you and what doesn’t. This can help bring you closer together and solidify your connection as one another’s primary partners.

Know thyself

Any communication strategy requires an intrinsic knowledge of your feelings and boundaries. The more you know about yourself and what kind of open relationship you want, the easier it will be to communicate your needs to others.

If you struggle to find a balance in your relationship that works for you, it might be because you don’t fully understand what you want and how to fulfil your desires. Determine the answers to these crucial questions before embarking on a full-on open relationship arrangement.

Set aside time for active communication

Life gets busy, and communication doesn’t always arise naturally. If you want to make sure that the line of communication between you and your primary partner(s) is clear, make space for these kinds of conversations in your schedule.

Identify times of the day, week, and month that might present good opportunities for communication and commit to spending them in an open discussion about how you are feeling.

Open relationships can be prone to change, and how you feel one day might change the next. Maintaining consistency about how and when you discuss your boundaries can help you build a culture of communication that feels organic and unforced.

Be open to more than one form of communication

When you have more than two people in a relationship, you deal with multiple personalities, needs, and communication styles simultaneously.

As important as verbal communication is, it isn’t everyone’s preferred form. There are others to explore, which can reveal a surprising amount of emotion and clarity.

Written communication is one example, but more abstract forms of communication, such as intimacy and foreplay, sexual intercourse, visual communication, such as art, and even listening, are often overlooked. Be open to more than one way of expression.

Become a world-class listener

While we’re on the topic of listening as a form of communication, let’s dwell on that for a moment. Active listening is one of the most powerful ways to connect with your partner(s) throughout any relationship, especially a non-monogamous one.

Listening and talking are both essential for a healthy flow of communication. When your partner is telling you how they feel, don’t just wait for them to stop talking so that you can have your turn—really sit back and listen to what they are saying. Give them space to have their moment.

Be honest, but be kind

Honesty is always important for healthy relationships. However, when it comes to navigating open relationships that involve multiple people and various moving parts, it is a non-negotiable tool for sustainable love and success.

That said, being honest without being kind can have a damaging effect on your relationship. Even if someone’s behaviour makes you angry or jealous, try to express this to them in a way that is still mindful and respectful. This makes for much smoother sailing.

Enjoy the evolution of your relationships

Open relationships are complicated and can require a lot of effort. But many people find them to be incredibly rewarding and liberating.

These dynamic relationship styles require an adaptable, open mindset that allows change to occur over time. Enjoying and accepting the natural evolution of an open relationship is the key to helping it thrive in all its glorious uniqueness for a happy, healthy dynamic that lasts.

Final Thoughts

Open relationships can be a beautiful way for couples with the same luxurious interests to expand their connections and experience love outside traditional relationship structures.

Monogamy isn’t at risk of going extinct—it’s still the relationship arrangement most people follow. However, the way we set those arrangements is changing.

By embracing these communication strategies, anyone experimenting with non-monogamy or rehashing their approaches to it can experience more intimacy and happiness.