“Why do you never have time for me?”

“I’m trying. It’s just that I have two midterms and I have to work tomorrow.”

“I do too, but I’m still trying to make time for us. Do you even care about our relationship anymore?”

Your partner screams through the telephone while your head begins to throb.

If this has never happened to you, more power to you and your healthy relationship. It’s not uncommon for people to become stressed out about managing school, family, work and, on top of everything, juggling a relationship.

According to San Diego State’s Counseling & Psychological Services website, relationships are one of the top five stress-inducing things for SDSU students.

“I think relationships cause a lot of stress for almost anyone,” C&PS clinical psychologist Dr. Jada Cade said. Maintaining a healthy relationship can certainly be a challenge.

“I think particularly in college, students are going through a lot of changes anyways, trying to figure out who they are, finding new interests and separating a little bit from their families,” Cade added. “So it’s a particularly stressful time anyways.”

Great difficulties come from excessive stress. You may experience minor symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches, but bigger health problems such as high blood pressure or heart disease can also arise. According to an article from BBC, stress can create feelings of distrust, fear and anxiety. This horrid concoction is not something students should be tasting, especially from having a relationship that’s supposed to be filled with more romance and flowers than fights and stress. So how can one go about creating a healthy relationship?

It’s important that both people in the relationship have the same expectations to avoid disappointment. Cade suggests seeking advice from friends or other trustworthy people. She also said to consider one’s own needs by reflecting on the relationship.

“Often we are bombarded by social media and distractions and your responsibilities that students don’t actually have a quiet moment to reflect on what works for them,” Cade said.

When asked about how she deals with stress within the relationship, SDSU liberal arts junior Melia Sedano said, “We know to talk to each other and not put it to the side. We know to confront it. If something is happening around us, it affects our relationship if we don’t talk about it.”

Cade said to avoid falling into mundane routines by constantly making new experiences with partners. Having moments to reflect on later in the relationship will keep things fun, Cade said.

“Remember the reason you wanted to be together in the first place,” she added.

Good communication is a key factor for creating a strong bond in a relationship. Although it’s inevitable to get stressed at times, a relationship should be a distraction from stress and a way to grow, have fun and build a strong friendship.

“If I’m having stress at school, he would already know or could tell,” Sedano said. “When I have that stress of school, I just tell him I need a couple of days or not to talk to me right now.”

Unfortunately, some relationships aren’t salvageable. It’s difficult for students to admit to themselves when it’s time to leave a relationship, especially when society places pressure for people to be in a relationship. But being single should be taken as a form of empowerment and renewal to begin a different stage in a person’s life.

Cade said it’s common for people not in a relationship to feel low self-esteem, doubts about self-image and questions about their character, identity and goals. These feelings can disappear quickly through reflection and pure conversation with friends and family members. Being single can be the healthiest choice a person can make.

So as you head to the market for some Advil, ask yourself if you can improve your relationship. Decide whether or not it’s time to be single.