By Rhonda Armbrust
Healthy relationships are the foundation for healthy people. We are hard-wired for connection, not just family and friends, but all relationships. The Greek philosopher Aristotle stated that humans are social animals. People need each other for their basic survival but also for their psychological well-being.
However, finding and keeping relationships is something we often struggle with. For example, when you fall in love, the passion caused by the release of feel-good brain chemicals tends to recede in a few years. After that, true love emerges only if the relationship continues to grow. Disappointments, traumas, and abuse can lead to trust issues that cause people to distance themselves from others. And about 12% of adults experience a social anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Social Anxiety
But you can learn to build rewarding relationships with family and friends and enjoy life more as a social animal. Below are ways to help you find and strengthen healthy connections:
Create common goals with others
Share adventures
Dive deep into personal questions
Share hardships
Do something nice
Use physical touch
Be warm and friendly
Keep in contact
Listen without judgment
Focus on what you have in common
Be open and honest
Spend time together
Give compliments when appropriate and authentic
Do favors and ask for favors
Show that you care
Be slow to anger and be tolerant
Make your conversations both light and heavy
Be yourself
Show interest in their story
Don’t just talk about yourself
Support people when they need it
Ask people about what is happening in their lives
Use humor
Don’t participate in triggering conversations
Spread positivity
Remember that body language makes a big impact
Studies have shown that deep friendships typically take over 200 hours together to develop, but sometimes sharing difficult and troubling situations, relying on the help of others, or offering support to someone in crisis creates long-lasting bonds. Stressful ordeals can provide an opportunity to deepen relationships. You can turn a negative experience into a positive by supporting someone during hardship or accepting help when you need it.
The drive to bond with others delves into the question of duality vs. oneness. Duality is the ego separating us from each other to understand, categorize, and make sense of our world. Oneness means everyone is part of existence, as if we are the cells in the configuration of the universes, sharing an experience and ultimately acting in harmony as one.
And so, our quest for deep and meaningful relationships may stem from losing that sense of oneness we embrace in our soul state and our desire to return to it. This craving for oneness might explain why people search for a soul mate or spend hours on social media sites.
In truth, there is little actual difference between people. A few digits of IQ, geographic location, amount of money in the bank, the color of your skin, age, or level of fame and fortune do not differentiate us in the big picture. Those are merely ways in which we separate ourselves from each other.
We are essentially alike as members of the human race, and together we create our world. Quantum experiments reveal that a photon will act like a particle or a wave depending on how the observer measures it, confirming that reality is what we collectively choose it to be. Reality Is What You Make Of It
Meditation, yoga, sound healing, hypnosis, and other modalities can help you regain a sense of oneness that brings peace and creates a magnetism within you that people are drawn to. In moments of mindful clarity brought on by these practices, you may experience the awe of oneness that inspires
you to open your heart. Likewise, taking part in a retreat or other healing events where people explore their feelings, beliefs, and dreams can lead to new meaningful friendships and perhaps help you experience the joy of oneness.
Share your challenges with the Best Life-ing team, and we’ll guide you to overcome obstacles to creating authentic and rewarding relationships. Best Life-ing