5 Things Deeply Reliable People Do That Make Them Immune To Last-Minute Meltdowns

You can count on them to show up in ways that prevent chaos before it even starts.

Last updated on Jul 06, 2025

Reliable person. Urban Gyllstrom | Unsplash
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Trust may be the most powerful asset humans possess and the most difficult and painful to lose. To determine how to establish better trust, it's important to understand what trust means in a relationship, as well as the signs of a deeply reliable person.

A quick way to figure this out is by learning what I refer to as the "five pillars of trust." In personal relationships, especially marriages, trust is the foundation for relationship satisfaction and longevity.

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Because human beings are wired to pair bonds, a lack of trust at home can be extremely destabilizing. This can hurt your confidence in other personal and work relationships. Gaining a clear understanding of the signs you can trust someone will change your life and allow you to feel safe in healthy relationships.

Here are five things deeply reliable people do that make them immune to last-minute meltdowns:

1. Offer honesty without hesitation

woman genuinely smile showing transparency Sean Lee / Unsplash

Everyone needs at least one person with whom they are completely transparent, someone you can reveal the truth of your humanity, and with whom there can be an exchange about the truth of the good, the bad, and the ugly of who you both are.

In a crisis, transparency about the situation and efforts to address it helps control the narrative and prevent speculation from spreading. By fostering trust, enabling collaboration, and creating a supportive culture, it empowers them to thrive even in challenging, chaotic environments. 

RELATED: 10 Signs You Can't Help Being Transparent With People (And Why They Love You For It)

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2. Give as much as they take

man genuinely smiling showing practicing reciprocity Andres Hernandez / Unsplash

Every high-trust relationship must have the capacity to be responsive to each other's felt and real needs. You learn to test the validity of what you're feeling by getting feedback from the person you trust the most.

To share how you feel is risky business. There is always the chance that your feelings are not based on reality. Nevertheless, they are real and can be painful to you. You know you're trusted when you can share your unfiltered feelings with another person without fear of judgment.

This kind of sensitive responsiveness needs to go back and forth. Without it, transparency will be compromised, and confidence in the relationship will not grow.

By practicing reciprocity, deeply reliable individuals demonstrate their willingness to engage in mutually beneficial exchanges and invest in social relationships, leading others to perceive them as reliable and trustworthy. Research suggests that individuals are more likely to cooperate when they have a cooperative partner, and this inclination towards reciprocity can even outweigh conformity to group behavior.

RELATED: You Cannot Truly Trust A Man You Love Until You Answer These 7 Questions

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3. Stay calm with others are struggling

man genuinely smiling showing understandiing Nat / Unsplash

In your most trusted relationships, you need to hear the other person respond to you with compassionate understanding. When you don't feel understood, you will shut down and stop sharing.

The truth is that few people do understand who you are. As a result, you have to be discerning about how you open up with people who don't know the big picture of your life.

There are people like therapists who are extremely skilled at understanding and validating human behavior. A deeply reliable friend who has known you for years can provide the same kind of acceptance. People who aren't trustworthy won't do this.

RELATED: 7 Non-Obvious Signs Someone Is Genuinely Trustworthy

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4. Create spaces where others feel secure

man genuinely smiling valuing safety Maël BALLAND / Unsplash

Trustworthy relationships are safe. They will protect the sacredness of your deepest secrets. They will never use your words against you.

If you're married, deeply reliable partners will be careful not to form emotional or physically intimate relationships with others. They will stand up for you and offer help when you're in need. They will nurture and protect your children.

A trustworthy person will always tell the truth. You can trust them with your money. They have spiritual values that lead them to place the interests of others ahead of their own.

Individuals high in conscientiousness tend to be organized, dependable, and persistent. Studies have shown a positive correlation between conscientiousness and safety behavior, suggesting that these individuals are more likely to comply with safety procedures and minimize errors.

RELATED: 10 Quiet Ways Emotionally Safe People Make You Feel At Home Without Saying A Word

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5. Show up when they say they will

woman genuinely smiling great with time management Taylor Friehl / Unsplash

Time management is a measure of trust. You only have a limited number of hours in this life. Deeply reliable people appreciate and steward the time we offer them. They also manage their time well in their personal lives and in their places of employment.

In any relationship, they take the time daily to listen and understand. They place time with us above all other priorities. They take personal time for their own physical, emotional, and spiritual development.

Your brain is wired to require an emotional connection, intellectual stimulation, and physical comfort. You need people you deeply trust to meet these needs. Transparency, reciprocity, understanding, safety, and time (T.R.U.S.T.) are the pillars that form the foundation for lifelong trusting relationships.

In a world of light-touch social media connections, you need to be intentional to form a few tried and true relationships that you can trust with the fabric of your life.

RELATED: How To Identify (And Live With!) The Truest, Most Authentic Version Of Yourself

Michael W. Regier, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist and EFT Supervisor who helps couples repair unhappy marriages and create lifetime love. He and his wife Paula are authors of the book 'Emotional Connection: The Story & Science of Preventing Conflict & Creating Lifetime Love.'

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