Nurturing Interpersonal Relationships

Preface

Interpersonal relationships are the central point of human connection that nurtures our liveliness. Hundreds of sociology and psychology studies from the past 10 years have shown the weight of interpersonal relationships in determining and maintaining health. Such relationships can play an important role in overall well-being, social support, emotional satisfaction, and fighting loneliness, while also giving one a sense of purpose in life. Relationships in general consist of pillars that must be maintained for them to thrive. Loyalty, trust, support, understanding, mutual respect, and reciprocation of such qualities are key to healthy relationships.

Interpersonal relationships can include romantic partners, family, and close friends. Secondary interpersonal relationships include neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances, and those with whom you are mutual. Thus, one has an interpersonal relationship with everyone in their social circle but to varying extents and boundaries.

The month of love

February is the month of love. You may have wondered: ‘Where’s cupid?’ ‘Will Cupid’s bow get me this year?’ ‘When will I experience real love?’ All of these thoughts are notorious, and I’d be dishonest if I said they hadn’t crossed my mind before. But it doesn’t always take a new connection to experience such feelings. Sometimes, it is a switch in your mindset and lookout on life that will eliminate the blind eye you’ve been turning towards your currently existing relations.

Defining Love

Love can come in different languages. Care and service can be acts of love. Being thoughtful and providing personalized support to your friend is a quality of love. Spending quality time and exchanging gifts is also an act of love. The list can go on for the entirety of the blog post, but I reckon you may get the point soon.

Love can be a positive, considerate, kind, and helpful action. It could also be a thought, word, or emotion that is mutually shared with your close ones. To define and associate love as solely a romantic notion is naïve to the nature of life. We, humans, express love in various ways that we may be oblivious to; for example: explaining a challenging concept to a friend demonstrates care for their future and a desire to support their knowledge improvement, making it an act of love.

Cultivating your relationships

So, what sort of mindset shift am I alluding to? This shift allows you to appreciate and build interpersonal relationships whilst being fulfilled by them. Cultivating your relationships means creating deeper meaning through various activities, spending quality time, learning about the person’s goals, beliefs, sense of humor, and more. In turn, these relationships can transform into profoundly valuable connections, enriching and enhancing the quality of your life.

Relationship maintenance requires effort, honesty, and communication. Regular sincere contact is healthy and can avoid miscommunication. However, conflicts can occur, and upholding mutual respect, honesty, and actively listening to the other person’s point of view is important.

Takeaway

Connections with others impact every part of our lives, such as at home, work, and during fun activities. Without strong relationships, we might feel lonely or unimportant, and it could seem like we are lacking the support we need from others.

Fostering attributes like good communication and authenticity lay the groundwork for strong relationships. As we nurture these qualities, a deeper understanding emerges, revealing that love is not only prevalent in our surroundings but also within ourselves.

Activity

During this month, take the time to ask the following questions to your parent(s), friends, family, or someone who you would like to get to know better, on a deeper level.

1. How would you describe me in 3 words?
   
2. What is your favorite memory?
   
3. What is the most important thing I should know about you?
   
4. What are your views on [current debate point]?
   
5. If you could program your life for a day, where would you live, what would you do, what languages would you speak, what activities would you choose to do?
   
6. What is one thing you would tell your younger self, as a piece of advice?
   
7. Do you have any regrets?
   
8. Would you rather go back to age 10 with your current knowledge, or jump to age 25?
   
9. What are your top 5 values?
   
10. What is one thing you cherish in your life?
    

I encourage you to elaborate while answering those questions and try taking turns answering them.