Healthy relationships are a vital part of how we function as humans. These relationships act as stability and give life purpose. Being in a healthy relationship has been proven to lower cortisol levels and hence relieve stress. You are also likely to be influenced by the people around you, meaning if you surround yourself with people that make healthy decisions, you are more likely to do the same. Having long-lasting relationships with people has also been shown to increase life span. Not being in a healthy relationship is said to have the same effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Building healthy, long-lasting relationships in today’s fast paced world is especially difficult. Being in an international school(such as the one we are in) doesn’t make it any easier to hold onto relationships. So how should one go about building these bonds with people? There are a few key ideas that contribute to having stable relationships.
- Be honest with your friend/partner. A healthy relationship can only be built on honesty.
- Respect each other’s privacy and trust one another. Being intrusive and wanting to know everything can be a sign of disrespect and distrust.
- Be supportive of one another. It is important to celebrate each other’s accomplishments and dreams. Encourage each other
- Spend time with each other to build a strong bond. Identifying common interests could be a way to spend time together.
- Listen to each other. Be sure not to talk over one another and establish respect between one another. This will go a long way!
With these 5 key ideas, building healthy and stable relationships is possible to do and gives life a purpose!