Strengthening Your Conscious Self

Relationships

• Introduction to Relationships

  • The quality of our relationships is important, however. What makes a relationship healthy? Relationships come in many forms: lovers, family, friends, coworkers, team members, and neighbors. Think of a relationship where you have mutual respect and trust, supporting each other in tough times, celebrating the good times, and communicating with ease and honesty. This is a healthy relationship. Do you have someone in mind? On the other hand, if communication is often tense or strained, confidences are broken, or you don’t feel listened to, appreciated, or valued, these are signs of an unhealthy relationship. Unhealthy relationships can have both immediate and longer-term health impacts. If you are unhappy in a relationship, try to improve the relationship, or end it. Do not stay in a relationship for the wrong reasons, such as fear of being alone or guilt.

    If a partner tries to force you to do something sexually, harms you physically, or is verbally abusive, you are in an unhealthy relationship. Even if you believe the person loves you, it does not make up for the harm they are doing to you. End the relationship.

    Take a moment to assess the health of your relationships. Who are the people who make you smile, who boost your confidence, who truly listen when you need to talk, and who want only the best for you? Investing in these relationships is likely to make you happier and healthier. Relationships are two-way streets. How committed are you to your relationships? How much effort do you put into nurturing your relationships? (Source: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-success)

• Introduction
  • Why should we learn about the science of relationships? You won’t be an expert, but you will have a better understanding of how deep, caring, meaningful, securely attached, and safe, relationships with others is interconnected with all the other domains of health and wellness.
• Relationship Science
  • Defining the different types of relationships, mirror neurons, how we determine friend from foe, developmental milestones, the importance of developing relationships, and why we dehumanize and “other” people we don’t know.
• Glossary of Terms
  • The language of professionals. Learn the professional industry jargon, for a thorough understanding when you talk to experts in self-help, personality traits, psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, theology, cosmology, and astrology.
• Information and Resources
  • Suggestions for further reading and studies. Gain more in-depth knowledge on human relationships, neuroscience of relationships, and how our relationship “soft skills” affect the people and the world around us.
• How can I develop healthy relationships?
  • Learn the advanced principles and skills of mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal relationship effectiveness, assertiveness, boundaries, and conflict resolution. Create a plan that you can stick to, using Internal Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing theories and self-therapy practice.
• Academic Peer-Reviewed Sources
  • Bibliography and works cited.