Your relationships with others tends to give you a sort of satisfaction. Isn’t it great to have someone with whom you can talk, have fun, fight, or enjoy? Everyone has interpersonal relationships, without them you cannot imagine your life. You need an acquaintance at every stage of your life. Whether you go to school, college, office, park, party or anywhere, you socialise and meet new people. The bond you build with someone is something that you will cherish for an entity.
Meaning of Interpersonal Relationship
An interpersonal relationship is a social connection between two or more people. The relationship between you and your partner, loved ones, close friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and many more with whom you share a bond. With whom you socialise day to day and are part of your life.
Types of Interpersonal Relationships
- Friendship
- Love
- Family
- Work relationships
For establishing a long lasting relationship, you have to go through a lot of things. You have to give time and build the bond. So, here are 5 Ways To Maintain Your Interpersonal Relationships.
Be Open
If you want your relationship to be healthy and happy, you should try to be open. Instead of keeping your thoughts and ideas to yourself, share them with the concerned person. As a result there will be transparency between both of you. If there are unsaid words in between, your relationship starts to suffer.
To avoid the suffering, try to be open, have open conversations and avoid any sort of miscommunication. No doubt letting someone in is not that easy, but when you share things with them, you build trust and affection for them. In order to maintain a strong bond with someone, there should be a mutual give and take in between.
Maintain Boundaries
Having certain boundaries in a relationship is good to foster a healthy relationship. Boundaries in a relationship tend to show your values, expectations and limitations. It gives an idea to the other person that up to what extent they can go. What are your likes as well as dislikes and can act accordingly.
Respecting the boundaries and not crossing them shows that you are empathetic and care about their values, feelings and needs. Maintaining boundaries in a relationship is important with others as well as for yourself. There should be a mutual understanding that both of you should respect each other’s boundaries.
Be A Good Listener
It is good to be a good speaker, but it is much better if you are a good listener too. If you have someone in life who is a good listener, then you are lucky indeed. Also, for a bond to be healthy and happy you should be firm and be a patient listener. When you listen to what others have to say, that means you are emotionally available for them. This can foster trust and emotional attachment between both of you and it might provide you a bond that you will cherish forever.
Your listening shows that you care, you are involved in what the other person has to say and most importantly you are interested in their life. It provides the emotional validation and support that at some point, everybody needs in life.
Show Respect
In order to maintain an interpersonal relationship, you should always have respect for the other person. It does not mean that you have to agree with everything they do or say. It simply means that you should respect and value their feelings, opinion, time and interest.
For maintaining an interpersonal relationship, you should always try to be firm. You should avoid disparaging the things they enjoy. Try to stand on commitments you have made to them and be mindful of their feelings as well.
Be Empathetic
You need to be empathetic towards the other person in a relationship. It means that you should try to understand the situation by being in their shoes.
Being empathetic helps you to develop a sense of belongingness in another person’s mind. Giving someone your time, and trying to understand them means that you care for that person. Understanding acts as a foundation for trust and as a result of it you will have an enduring relationship.
For being empathetic, you should try to be an active listener, share things about yourself, and accept the feedback. Try to be honest and validate their feelings in order to develop a healthy bond.
Stages Of Relationship
Relationships don’t develop all of a sudden, it is like a seed that grows as time passes by. And to make that seed grow, you have to take proper care of it. Invest some of your time in it and one day that will become something to cherish for life.
There can be five stages of a relationship: acquaintance, build up, continuation, deterioration, and ending.
First you meet someone, then you build or form a connection with them. As time passes by your bond grows deeper and you continue to rely on each other. But in some cases, at times it happens that your relationship with that person starts deteriorating and when it goes through a lot of ups and downs, it can end as well. Whereas, if that bond survives all the hurdles, then it can be for life.
Also Read: 7 Healthy Boundaries to Maintain in Your Relationship
Why do relationships matter?
Interpersonal relationships affect your psychological as well as physical health. It will help you to combat loneliness. Sharing your problems rather than keeping them with you is much better for your peace. When you share things, you release your baggage that you have been carrying for a long time. Not only will you find a solution for your problems, but also you will feel light and relieved.
Ever felt so stressed but nobody to talk to about it?
Having an interpersonal relationship tends to increase your resilience to stress. You learn to adapt to the situation, and instead of getting panicked, you face it with confidence. As having someone to support and understand gives you the wings to fly higher. When you share your problems you receive advice and then you take better action on that.
Not only do they help you to get clarity, but they also reduce the risk of depression. As, you will have someone with you and you will not have to go through anything alone. You find that person standing by your side in your toughest time as well.
Why do relationships end?
Not all relationships are healthy and give you a fruitful result. Some might be downright toxic and not good for your health. Cutting them out of your life is always a better solution to live a happy and peaceful life. Also there can be some other reasons as well, like some bonds are for limited duration by nature. For example, your relationship with a coworker, classmate, teacher, etc. You cannot be in touch with them forever.
Conclusion
It is very important to have good interpersonal relationships to live a healthy and happy life. You might have understood the need of these relationships in your life, and how to maintain them. If you give respect, care, love and support, you will also get the same in return. And by this give and take you establish a bond that you will admire for the rest of your life.
