February, with its up-and-down temperatures and wet-then-dry weather patterns is a perfect mirror of the rollercoaster of most relationships, both intimate and platonic. Some relationships have predictable seasonality. Some are thriving most of the time, while others are struggling most of the time.
Regardless of where you find the state of your relations with significant others, family members, friends, and other loved ones – we can always all do a few things to improve the health of these relationships. Complacency is usually the biggest enemy in this regard.
- Practice better self-care. Eating nutritious foods, getting a little bit of physical activity each day, practicing reflection and mindfulness, and participating in activities you truly enjoy at a regular cadence – these are all basic human needs that we have a tendency to neglect. The better you take care of yourself, the more able to support others you’ll be. Prioritize it!
- Practice forgiveness. We all mess up. We all fail. We all lose our temper sometimes. It’s important to forgive. Contrary to popular belief, forgiveness does not require forgetting what happened (which lacks true accountability). Instead, just try to do better next time. And, give those who’ve offended you a chance to do better next time (excluding anything that puts you or others in harm’s way).
- Practice thorough communication. We humans are incredibly talented at making assumptions. We often assume we have gotten every detail or every piece of information when we haven’t. We often assume we’ve been clear when we haven’t been. A little bit more thoroughness in our communication with those we’re in relationships with can go a long way toward preventing heartache and conflict.
These three recommendations are just a starting-place, of course. During this season of love, we encourage you to consider what other practices you could put in place to help improve the health of your relationships. It could be a stronger boundary with someone in your family. It could be a regular outing with a friend you enjoy.
You don’t have to navigate your relationships alone! If you or somebody you know needs support, The Willow Center is here for you.
Written by Chase Cotten, Community Director
