There are a few things in life that are unavoidable. Basic human needs, change, and human interactions are a few of these. I’d argue that the relational interactions are close to the top priorities for all levels of our well-being. From value of self, to motivation and endurance, to sustainability of well-being, relationships play a role. One of the greatest motivators behind success of well-known athletes, professions and overall lives are their personal influences. So, aside from internal health factors like sleep and nutrition lies the key external factor: relationships.
Relationships are going to happen. They may be good. They may be bad. But they are going to occur. Relationships influence all factors of a person’s life and well-being. That is why it is essential that we put effort and time into determining who our relationships are with and how we feed those relationships.
Here are the top three components of relationships we should consider in creating those that will positively influence social and personal growth.
1. Seek Positive Connections
As mentioned, humans were created to be in interpersonal relationships with one another. We have a natural, even subconscious desire to connect with others. The trick can be to filter out the negative relationships. Write down the relationships you have in your life. Then look at those people and consider, are they healthy? Are they supportive? Do they fill your energy or do they drain it? Keep in mind that relationships are filled by quality not quantity. Consider who on your list takes most of your time and reflect on if that is healthy or not. Seek to spend time with people who you feel better as a person when you leave.
2. Connect With Those Who Balance Accountability And Motivation
Too often people think that friends are to be people pleasers. But rather, the best type of connections should be those who value you as you are while still seeing of what you are capable of becoming. They are great tools for accountability and instead of helping you maintain goals through shame, they motivate you through support, encouragement, and engagement. These people are those who see what you are capable of and won’t let you settle below that point.
3. Seek Healthy Living Through Healthy Relationships
The best relationships to seek are those who live the life they encourage you to seek and sustain. They are role models of what you desire and maybe you get to be a role model of what they desire. It is a balance and a motivation of living the best version of each other. Healthy relationships don’t dismiss the struggles of healthy living but rather pace with you through the challenges and limitations. The best relationships to invest time in joins with you in creating goals and providing encouragement to a healthier living.
The gift of the healthy relationship is the psychological power they give to feel worth inside yourself that begins to show through your own growth of healthier living. Seek, nurture, and sustain those forms of relationships.
Amber Jewell is a licensed master social worker with over 15 years of experience working with youth and families in child protective services, education and mental health services. As an educator and an advocate for promoting change for and value within people, Amber works to inspire and motivate others to grasp their own form of hope. She is also a motivational speaker and has experience in the foster system. She is the author of Finding Hope: The 12 Keys To Healing Hardship, Hurt & Sorrow.
