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I spend a lot of time thinking about relationships. The main reason for this stems from my belief that the people I connect with regularly shape who I am, and ultimately influence how I feel. Just like you I started relating the minute I was born, and all of my relationships throughout my life have influenced who I am today. I don’t remember all of my relational experiences cognitively, but I know that on a cellular level, my many moments of interpersonal connection live deep inside of me somewhere influencing the delicate eco-system I call my life.
If you haven’t already noticed, most of your pleasure and heartbreak are connected to your present or past relationships. When you are relating to others, your connection is not just happening in the physical world, it is sculpting the very essence of who you are moment to moment and day by day.
Your interpersonal relationships need to be assessed and managed regularly to ensure that they are optimally functioning so you can continually thrive and grow. When they are draining and toxic, you will be affected on both a psychological and physiological level.
While some people will come and go (colleagues and friends), and others will remain as permanent fixtures (family), doing a relationship checkup is essential for your mental and physical health.
Your relationships are as equally important to your wellbeing as the water you drink, and the food you eat. They are either healthy and nourishing, or toxic and depleting.
As you move into the heart of April, perhaps it’s time to do a relationship spring- cleaning. Take some time to evaluate the relationships in your life, and how they are affecting you. There might be some you want to discard, and others that you need to restructure. You might also have a past relationship you want to renew, or a budding one you want to nurture.
Think of your relational life as a garden, and spend the next few weeks pulling the weeds, cultivating the soil, and planting what will nourish and sustain you.
As with any successful gardening, your patience and diligence will pay off of with a rich and plentiful harvest of healthy interpersonal relationships that feel healthy and rewarding.
Share your thoughts and comments below!
