“Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships. The depth of meaning, understanding and appreciation that these kinds of relationships bring is almost unfathomable. And, of course, as many people find out, nothing can bring so much pain as a broken relationship with someone dear to you.” ~ Jim Rohn
Having healthy relationships is essential for your wellbeing and, therefore, requires great attention and nurturing. The good news is that you can increase your chances of having amazing relationships – relationships that are exciting, meaningful, inspiring, and filled with love and joy – by making better choices in regards to your relationships.
Here are 10 tips for creating healthy relationships:
1. Honor and Love Yourself. Your relationships with others are always a reflection of your relationship with yourself. Be authentic and trust that you are good enough just the way you are. When you are kind, loving, and accepting toward yourself, you relate to others with confidence, respect, compassion, and humility.
2. Practice Honest and Open Communication. Communication is an amazing vehicle to express what you think and feel inside and to connect with another person. Keeping honest and open communication is a must for a healthy relationship. Sweeping issues under the rug doesn’t serve you well. Acknowledge your challenges, Accept your specific situation, and then Act from the place of inner knowing. This will ground you in the present and help decrease fears and anxiety about the future.
3. Be Patient and Tolerant. Nobody is perfect and you will experience disappointments. Don’t give up or lose patience too soon. Instead, cultivate tolerance and try to work things out as much as possible. Become an attentive listener – don’t interrupt, prejudge, or dismiss. Listen. If you tend to give up on relationships too soon or because the person is not perfect – you may get disappointed again with your next relationship.
4. Clearly Communicate Your Intentions, Core Values and Boundaries. It helps to be clear about your non-negotiable items, whatever they are for you (e.g. fidelity, having children, family roles, etc.). Manage people’s expectations by communicating your values upfront and, when appropriate, stating your boundaries (e.g. no physical, emotional, or psychological abuse, no jealous blowouts, etc.). Form unions with people who support your growth and release the relationships that sabotage it.
5. Be Loyal and Trustworthy. It is motivating and comforting to know you are in a relationship with people who are loyal to you and vice versa, that you have each other’s back and you can count on each other through good and bad times. This is empowering!
6. Have a Common Purpose. You need to have some common purpose to engage in lasting relationships. Working towards a shared goal, creating, failing and succeeding together is one of the most inspiring and empowering features of relationships.
7. Have Fun! All good relationships must have elements of fun to bring enjoyment and rapport. With all the busyness and demands of our modern society, we forget or neglect to inject humor and pleasure in our lives. When the novelty of the relationship wears out, we tend to take people for granted and proceed on auto-pilot, not realizing how lack of fun shifted the dynamics of the relationship.
8. Be Friendly, Considerate, and Attentive. Nobody likes to be around a rude, irritable, inconsiderate, or difficult person. Greet others with kind words, respect and dignity. Look for the best in everyone you meet and compliment them. You will undoubtedly see relationships grow and expand.
9. Show That You Care. Have a servant’s heart, be considerate, offer help, unconditional support, and consolation when necessary. As adequately stated in the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi: “For it is in giving that we receive”.
10. Appreciate All Your Relationships. Every relationship in your life is a reflection of you – your beliefs, your aspirations, your values. You can learn a lot about yourself by simply paying attention to how you relate to others.
Yes, relationships make the world go ’round. For better or for worse. Strive to have healthy relationships, become aware of your belief patterns, and learn to interact consciously with others.
To Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness,
