Managing Relationships

Maintaining healthy relationships when you are stressed, tired or busy with work can be a challenging endeavour! It can even become a source of stress in itself!

To avoid such stress and effectively manage your relationships you need to strike a balance between being professional and personal. This can be difficult but is certainly not impossible.

Use this article as a quick reference guide – dip into it whenever you feel like your personal and/or professional relationships are floundering.

To help you find what you are looking for, we have organised this article into four main sections:

• Relationships with your friends and family
• Relationships with your spouse or partner
• Relationships with your work colleagues
• Your relationship with yourself

The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.

Theodore Roosevelt

Everybody needs love, affection and acceptance.

By building positive relationships with those close to you, you will not only be happier and fulfilled but also feel more supported and connected.

So what can you do to develop positive relationships with your friends and family…

• Work smarter, not harder – save energy for your loved ones by altering your work profile or daily routine – Define, Eliminate, Automate and Liberate.

• Know your limitations – learn from Parkinson’s Law – work expands to fill the time available for its completion – don’t get caught working long, unproductive hours when you can actually be enjoying time with your friends and family. Rest, relaxation and recovery is important for productivity levels!

• Make time, prioritise and execute! – Get things done so you can spend more quality time with your friends and family. Set your deadlines and allocate your work accordingly.

• Give your friends and family your full attention – avoid using your mobile phone or any other gadget whilst they are around – there are mobile apps that can help with this.

• Have at least one meal with friends and/or family per day – no distractions!

• Don’t discuss work at home unless your friends/family enjoy it or you have funny stories to tell. Step 1 – leave your stress at work. Step 2 – use our article Techniques For Stress Relief At Work.

• Plan a vacation twice (or more) per year with your friends and/or family – it doesn’t need to be an expensive trip. Take a look at our travel series for ideas.

• Make a point to spend at least some part of the weekend with your family.

• Take part in the #FFF challenge.

• Keep a tight group of really close friends and meet up with them often. Eliminate “friends” or family that have a negative impact on your energy and your life.

• Talk to your friends and family on a daily basis – communication is an essential aspect of relationships.

• Laugh and play with your friends and/or family at least once per day – cards, sports, video games, board games, dance, sing, etc.

• Do random acts of kindness for your friends and family. It feels good and they will love you even more for it!

• Grow together – exercise, learn, develop and experience as a close group of people.

• Train your mind to love unconditionally – just like a dog bares no grudges and still loves his/her owner no matter what, train your mind to detach from stresses of daily life and love the people around you 24/7.

• Don’t be afraid of being vulnerable – being vulnerable demonstrates you trust other people, are strong enough to acknowledge your weaknesses and really allows you to open up to love.

Almost all of the points mentioned in the section above are applicable for relationships with your spouse or partner; however, there are some additional traits that you may want to develop in order to gain an even stronger emotional bond…

• Understand – Each partner should understand the other  – their work profile, their schedules, their likes and dislikes.

• Empathy – Once you understand your partner, you can practice one of the most beneficial human traits, empathy. “One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider a problem, can change our whole outlook on the world.” – E. H. Mayoli

• Compromise – A little give and take will help your relationship prosper – If your partner prepares breakfast then take up the responsibility for dinner!

• Share – Responsibilities, experiences and physical things.

• Be flexible – Learn to be independent so you can give each other space when needed. You could use some “alone time” to plan a little surprise for your partner so that he/she feels wanted and special.

• Give space – Don’t overpower or assert additional authority on each other. Relax, give space and go with the flow.

• Spend quality time together – Take a walk, run, road trip, go on a vacation.

• Be supportive – Support each other to be better people and create a loving relationship.

• Enjoy the life’s little things together – Celebrate the small achievements.

• Be grateful for each other – Appreciating your partner will only strengthen your attraction to them.

Your relationships at work are just as important as those outside of work.

The vast majority of your time will be spent with those that you choose to work with.

And yes, it is a choice!

If you feel like you don’t have a choice, maybe take a look at our article entitled: How To Find Your Passion! Hopefully, this article will help you to avoid career anxiety!

If you’re happy with your workplace but you just need a few ideas on how to spruce up your professional relationships, these articles will certainly help:

• Creating Healthy Relationships At Work

• Team Building Exercises To Create Lasting Relationships At Work

• Good People Make Great Leaders

When the topic of relationships is mentioned, people often begin by thinking about other people; however, to develop healthy relationships with your friends, family and work colleagues, you must first have a healthy relationship with yourself.

So make sure you love yourself before you go on to thinking about others. This truly is relationship saving advice!

My Home Vitality has been established so you can develop yourself as a healthy, well-rounded person so please use this website as a resource for developing your life.

The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship you have with yourself. It is in this relationship that you set the standard for all others.

Steve Maraboli

Some specific tips for improving the relationship with yourself include…

• Set goals and challenges that excite you and drive you to becoming a better person. As will Smith said, “set a goal so big that you can’t achieve it until you grow into the person who can.”

• Follow healthy routines that give your life structure but also enjoy spontaneity.

• Travel as a way of opening your mind to the world and developing mental clarity that you just can’t achieve in the hustle and bustle of daily life.

• Do small things to look after your mind and spirit – take a break and go outdoors by yourself. Walk, run, cycle, meditate – do what suits you!

• Take some time for personal grooming – be clean and tidy in life and appearance.

• Stay humble but stay hungry – Always remember when you started but always strive for more.

• In tense situations just take a deep breath, sit and contemplate.

• Take time to enjoy yourself – indulge in some high-school hobbies, dancing, singing, painting, swimming, sports… anything… Just go for it!

• Let go – do not carry around unnecessary baggage, both mentally and physically.

• Eat healthy and eat well.

• Take part in exercise that you love – move every day!

• Think individually – be your own person and act based on your beliefs and values.

• Self-care is discussed extensively n our article 4 Key Cornerstones Of Wellness – take a look for more on developing your relationship with yourself.

Maintaining healthy relationships, at home or at work, is not very difficult if you are determined to strike a balance.

Positive and supportive relationships will help you feel healthier, happier, and more satisfied with your life. There is nothing more rewarding than love from the people around you.

Your self-esteem, contentment, and capacity to flourish are influenced significantly by your relationships with family, friends or partners. They can also lead to distress if they go wrong.

So to avoid the stresses of poor relationships and gain the positives from strong bonds, learn to manage your relationships effectively by using some of the ideas shared with you in this article.