"However good or bad you feel about your relationship, the person you are with at this moment is the "right" person, because he or she is the mirror of who you are inside."
- Deepak Chopra
Overview:
Relationships take centre stage in the month of February. We don’t live and work in a vacuum, so it just makes sense that the quality of the relationships we maintain will affect our ability to achieve our goals in work and life. In fact, many experts have posited that healthy relationships may even be more important to our overall well-being than fitness and nutrition. But what are relationships, and how do we make them “well”? Relationships are the most common, universal experience that vary in degree of “closeness”. Family, friends, acquaintances, coworkers and even clients are some of the more important groups that we forge relationships with to meet several of our basic needs as humans. As they say, “It takes two to tango”, and there’s no denying the fundamental give-and-take nature of relationships. But why not focus this month on how you can be personally proactive in nurturing the relationships that are meaningful to you. Your personal health may thank you for it.
3/24: Three things you can do in the next 24 hours to get the ball rolling
Love yourself first
Before you can even begin to successfully nurture relationships with other people, you need to learn and take time to develop a strong relationship with yourself. By loving and respecting yourself, you engage in behaviour that communicates to others that you are deserving of respect. What can you do right now to demonstrate love to yourself? Hueina Su, MS, BSN, CEC , says that self-care is a form of self-love. Create non-negotiable self-care practices for yourself (for example, reading, tea time, yoga, exercise, meditation, monthly girls night out, yearly physical check-up, massage, pursuing a hobby, etc.). The next step would be to stay true to it.
Look for the good in others
Whenever I’m having a tense time with my husband, it is all too easy for me to conjure up all his negative traits (and I’m sure he could do the same for me!). I frequently notice how we get into a negative loop either through toxic talk or thoughts about each other. So here is an exercise that is very useful that you can do with just about anyone in your circle. Place that specific person in your mind, and then begin writing down all the qualities you admire in them. Yes, it seems as though actually writing it down is much more powerful than just thinking it in your head. Everyone possesses qualities that are redeeming and likable, and by writing them down you can get yourself out of that negative headspace that is a barrier to progress and well-being.
Do one thing for someone at work
The workplace is filled with people we interact with on a very regular basis. And considering most people - if working full-time - spend the vase majority of their working hours at the workplace, it’s only logical that the quality of those relationships will affect our mental, emotional and physical health. To get into the habit of creating some really good karma at work, find one person you work with and do one good thing for them: let them know you appreciate them, tell them what they’re doing well, pitch in and help them with a deadline. Start with just one person and one kind act, and do your share to fill your workplace with positive energy.
