We often hear that humans are social beings thriving within social structures and benefiting from the physical and emotional support they provide.
But for these connections or relationships to positively impact your life, they have to be positive and rooted in love, care, and understanding.
The good relationships in your life play a vital role in your happiness and well-being. They can also help you overcome challenges, cope with difficult times, and improve your resilience.
Studies reveal that positive relationships have far-reaching effects like improving health, aiding recovery, and living longer.
Relationships and Mental Health
The relationships you form are intimately connected to your mental health, whereby positive relationships have positive effects, and negative relationships have adverse effects.
Some studies have linked negative social interactions with increased risk of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. On the other hand, positive interactions lower the risk of these mental health issues.
There is plenty of evidence that building good and strong relationships has immense benefits on your mental health. Also, the value of positive relationships is not determined by quantity but by the quality of these close interactions.
How to Build Positive Relationships
When crafting your support system, you need to address different types of relationships and social interactions and find ways to nurture them.
Let’s break down how to build positive relationships that bolster your mental health.
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Engage with Family
Family relationships are often the first and closest forms of relationship. Your family represents your roots, and these are people you can generally count on with no strings attached because they belong to you, and you belong to them.
However, any relationship, even among family members, needs nurturing for a healthy and positive impact. Build trust and understanding with your family while nurturing communication and compassion.
It may be harder to open up to loved ones because you dislike burdening them or don’t want them to think you’re not strong enough. However, family is meant to be your primary source of strength and support.
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Nurture Friendships
Like family, friendship is a close relationship that can significantly impact your life. Deep and meaningful friendships help you to belong and offer a rich emotional experience that is good for your physical and mental well-being.
Therefore, it’s important to create and nurture strong, positive friendships that can be part of your support system.
These tips will help you build strong friendships:
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Get to Know Them
Strong friendships are not based on passing acquaintances or occasional chatter at gatherings. Ask yourself, what do you really know about your friends?
If you have a friend you care about, learn to strengthen that bond by being available. Get to know your friends personally and show them that you’re interested in who they are and what they have to say.
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Make Time
Relationships deepen through spending quality time. Make time for your friends, get together, and pursue activities you have in common.
There are many things you can do with friends to spend quality time. You could go hiking or camping together if you’re into the outdoors.
If you’re into weed, explore strains you love together and educate yourselves on things like benefits, weed measurements, dosages, etc.
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Offer Support
If you want your friends to be a strong support system, be there for them when they need you, and they will be there for you. People remember kindness, compassion, and encouragement as these forms of emotional support deepen relationships.
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Connect with Your Community
Communities are valuable tools that help ground you and give you a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging. Unlike family or friendships, communities offer a broader social perspective that can be very enriching.
These communities can be your neighborhood, sports, and hobby groups, religious groups, or charity circles.
Stay active on the ground, engaging with groups where you have a shared interest. Not only are these interactions good for your mental health, but communities often function as a body and are supportive of members.
Final Takeaway
Building a support system you can rely on means building healthy relationships, an important aspect of life.
Humans thrive on positive social interactions and depend on them for many needs. By nurturing solid connections and investing in positive relationships, you ultimately strengthen your mental health.
