Having come to terms with the fact that we as individuals cannot work in silos or live life alone and will require other humans. Understanding how to keep and maintain these relationships becomes a critical task to learn and execute.
When at home, we have our family to deal with. We relate to our spouses, kids, and partners depending on our position in that home. We go to work or school and have our colleagues, bosses, or teachers to deal with. Even at religious gatherings, we relate to other worshippers and guests.
Introduction
Knowing and understanding the approach to maintaining a good relationship requires that both parties involved are fulfilled at every contact and are satisfied with their relationship with no traces of sadness experienced, determining the extent to which such togetherness is maintained.
Maintaining a great and healthy relationship cuts across individuals’ physical, mental, and psychological connections. It requires connection building and understanding so that this relationship is not one-sided and is beneficial to all.
Table of Contents
Essential Tips for a Healthy Relationship
This article evaluates some tips that could be useful in enhancing and maintaining healthy relationships across the board amongst one’s immediate family, friends, team members, and other areas of life. They include:
Free Information Share
Openness is critical to building a relationship with anyone. How much information you share depends on how tight you want the relationship. However, both parties must be willing to talk heart-to-heart and not fear sharing their feelings, views, observations, and thoughts.
I once read a post about a friend looking for a job and the other friend having access to some job openings, but rather than sending this to her, she was sharing prayer points and manuals. This is still an information share, but not necessarily the relevant information needed.
Openness allows room for vulnerability, enhances communication, and eliminates distrust or trust issues. How would you feel, hearing information from an outside source about your spouse or someone you call your close friend without you knowing? This could be a painful experience, making the other party feel emotionally imbalanced and affecting their confidence in each other and the entire relationship.
Respect
Although not expressly stated as a rule or guideline, we all, as individuals, will want to experience this deep feeling of regard and thoughtfulness, where you feel your opinion matters and your observations are considered and paid attention to, with suggestions and opinions or feedback given to you politely.
We all want to leave a conversation feeling like kings and not less than each other. The world is unfriendly enough to begin maintaining toxic relationships that could cause more harm than good.
To maintain a healthy relationship, we must respect our differences, understand that we may have different opinions and interests, and be willing to accept each other for who we are rather than trying to change people or force them to live by our life precepts.
Time
Time has a cost but remains an investment in maintaining a great relationship. Investing time with your friend or colleague will enable more individual discussions and understanding.
Spending time does not necessarily mean spending long hours with this individual, but being fully present in discussions and avoiding side talks gives an impression that one is present.
Quality time is considered a priority in every relationship, fostering growth, bonding, and understanding among individuals. All distractions must be eliminated at these gatherings, as this helps achieve more as we channel our focus and attention toward one thing: the relationship.
Listening
I walked out of a relationship earlier in my life as I felt the other party wanted to talk but was never available to listen to what I had to say. Listening is considered a critical factor in maintaining a healthy relationship.
Do you listen to get the other party’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions, or do you listen to contribute and put yourself in your own experiences? We might experience the same event but have different perspectives and emotional attraction to that same situation. Active listening provides emotional and therapeutic support instead of just listening to give your opinion.
To listen as a concept requires making time for others to air their thoughts without interruptions. This is not to tackle or be judgmental or to chip in your contribution but to be empathetic, make sure you truly hear and understand what they say, and be passionate about what they have in store.
Conflict Resolution
We usually experience issues in a relationship; however, settling this rivalry or issue should be done with the right mindset. Focusing on the problems as against the person’s aims to resolve these issues for necessary conflict resolution.
Conflict resolution should be calm, and avoiding blame and addressing concerns to solve the problem rather than ending the relationship. It is also essential to explore the possibility of compromise, fostering problem resolution.
Resolving these problems helps to keep the relationship healthy and robust, allowing for better trust and confidence and avoiding heated conversations and disagreements. Taking a short break from the conversation could heal and solve problems rather than dwelling on them.
Forgiving much more quickly is the order of the game as you forgive these issues without referring to them in the future; this requires completely letting go and knowing that friendship covers every weakness, driving us to become better emotionally and personally.
Support Each other and Always Show Gratitude
Showing support builds the bond and relationships, whether it’s the home or work relationship. Helping and providing tips will go a long way when your friend wants to build or make something.
Sharing valuable tips and ideas for growth is vital to the relationship. Celebrating one’s growth, successes, and even tough times gives a clear perspective on how caring and thoughtful these individuals are in a relationship.
A mindset that nobody owes you nothing gives a great perspective on expressing gratitude. Always show gratitude and appreciation no matter what the person has done. This gives room for more togetherness, having understood that the person must have made extra effort to provide this gesture or gift.
Be less Judgmental
To enhance a healthy relationship, it is essential to promote mindfulness, always observing one’s thoughts and actions before exercising them. It creates space for attending to issues with more empathy, showing compassion, and helping accept others’ flaws and imperfections without necessarily judging them.
Being less judgmental also helps eliminate the I know it all syndrome and helps to accept other people’s perspectives and ideas without criticizing them or controlling their thoughts and ideas.
Build Memories Together
It can be as simple as taking your friend to lunch or a time out, organizing team bonding activities at work to play puzzles, watching movies, and having an eating-out time with the family. Usually, it is not the cost but the togetherness experienced or the time spent together.
Engaging in fun activities gives room for bonding, building positive memories, and making everyone happy, rejoicing, and grateful for one another. It helps ease tension or other unhappy thoughts about one another, keeping one another hopeful for tomorrow.
Conclusion
Maintaining a healthy and prosperous relationship is a task and should be treated seriously. These principles enhances the balance in the relationship, making everyone happy and safe with each other.
It provides scope for individual success, comfort in connections, and drives a sense of understanding amongst individuals. It goes beyond individuals to ensure a safe place in the community and society.
By nurturing relationships with more intent and personal care, we all can feel safe, less judged, and willing and always ready to conquer the world.
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