Family ties

Sunday is trivia day in my family.  Since the beginning of the Covid lockdowns we started a tradition of meeting every Sunday on a zoom call to visit, catch up, and play trivia.  Each week someone presents a series of questions to the others and we see which of us is the best at general trivia.  We have kept in touch this way for a year now from New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Michigan, and New York.  The tradition of getting together each week helped us all to navigate the changes that the lockdowns caused and helped us to feel more connected, despite our forced separation.

 

Family is an important part of a mentally healthy life. Family may not always be blood relatives, but often are friends and coworkers.  Any close relationship that you form with people in order to share your life, will keep you on track in times of adversity. Strong family relationships will help you grow, so nurturing those relationships will add to your ability to be successful in whatever you choose to do. 

How do we build strong relationships with the people in our lives? 

Practice acceptance and fondness.   Our relationship with other people is all about the way we think and feel about them.  Creating a strong relationship with someone simply requires you to think highly of them and accept them for who they are.  There is no specific behavior required on their part but the openness to receiving your acceptance.  Allowing another person to be themselves and loving them anyway is at the root of all strong relationships. Looking for the good in every interaction will allow you to let people be exactly who they are.

Make strong commitments to your family and friends.  If you do not commit to working on relationships, you will not allow them to grow. Committing to following through on plans  and promises will keep you honest, and build trust in your relationships.  Spending your time with family first, and setting boundaries around that commitment is a healthy way to keep those strong relationships.

Share in activities and communication.  Communication is required to resolve conflict and create acceptance of each person in a relationship. People always have different points of view so keep an open mind and just allow opinions to differ.  You do not always have to like someone to love them.  Choosing to spend time with people even when they do not agree with you is a sign of maturity and emotional intelligence.  

Each day, remember that you need close and strong relationships to thrive.  Create those strong relationships by using the power of your communication, acceptance of differences, and commitment to follow through.  Life is fuller with family and friends.

Dr. Julie Cappel

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” ― Donald Miller

“There is greatness in doing something you hate for the sake of someone you love.” ― Shmuley Boteach