Creating and Maintaining Healthy Relationships
By Rachel Shouse
Creating healthy relationships is hard enough as it is. Then you go on to find out all the work it can take to maintain that health. It's not always easy sitting and listening, or being forgiving. Everyone screws up, but if you feel as if somethings wrong, maybe it's time to evaluate. Addressing problems, being mindful of your own well-being, and setting up healthy boundaries are all great ways to maintain healthy relationships.
Addressing Issues in a Healthy Way
Sometimes it can feel like life is throwing you issue after issue. The last thing you feel like dealing with may be your relationships. Problems are going to pop up in all relationships. Whether that's a sibling, friend, spouse, parents, etc., they're all bonds that are most likely going to be tested at some point.
One of the biggest factors when deciding if a relationship is worth salvaging is how you felt. It's normal to feel sad or angry in any relationship. If you start to feel sad more than you are happy, it's time to talk. This isn't a reason to quit, but talking about it with the other individual is the best way to handle this. See how they're feeling as well.
Remaining Mindful of Your Own Well-Being
Being selfless is an endearing trait in many great people. There is a line to draw however. While you may go through phases of feeling unappreciated by the ones you love, this shouldn't be a constant feeling.
If this is how you feel, be open about it. Storing those emotions is going to cause you to explode at some point. Those emotional times can cause serious problems in a relationship. It's much easier to address one problem at a time instead of being thrown years worth of problems at once.
Set Healthy Boundaries
While it's important for others to understand your boundaries, it's more important that you understand them as well. Becoming overwhelmed with obligations and responsibilities is a burden that you don't need. Most who face this problem have good intentions. It's still a problem that you need to address.
If you're feeling overwhelmed and overworked, don't be afraid to drop a few things. If you fear judgement or shame please don't. Nobody is going to remember that one person who dropped their kids karate class. Don't internalize so much, as hard as that may be.
Creating and maintaining healthy relationships has more to do with you than others. You can only control yourself and you're not responsible for the actions of others. Being mindful of what you can do though could help create some well balanced and loving relationships.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Rialto, Calif.