Relationships And Mental Health: What You Should Know

No man is an island, and we do need a social life to function correctly. Healthy interactions are crucial for maintaining positive mental health.

Love is a beautiful thing. Even though most people will never admit it, our personal relationships impact our overall state of mind and well-being. The intimacy of relationships, whether social or romantic, is meant to make us happy. As such, the quality of the relationships we involve ourselves in impacts our mental health.

SEE ALSO: The Remarkable Power of Gratitude To Transform Our Lives

The benefits of healthy relationships

There’s a lot to understand the relationship between intimacy and our mental well-being. People who struggle with commitment issues or are tied down by professional commitments understand that achieving and maintaining good mental health can be tasking. On the other hand, creating and maintaining healthy social relationships has numerous benefits, such as:

• They provide individuals with meaning and purpose.
• Your social circle will encourage positive patterns and healthy behaviors.
• Talking, listening, and general interaction creates a platform for people to process their emotions and relieve their stress and anxiety.
• Being active with your social circle increases your energy levels and helps relieve tension.
• According to studies, being in supportive relationships helps us to live healthier, longer lives.

How do you identify and foster healthy relationships?

It’s very easy to get caught up in screen interaction and calls, but that is no way to foster intimacy with people. If anything, being on social media too much might negatively affect you by creating feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. Human interaction helps in managing mental health symptoms and encouraging positive life habits. Many mental health blogs offer guidance on identifying triggers and stressors, and these are quite useful for people who are embracing human interactions. They are also great for supporting partners, and they offer insight and perspective on mental health and issues around it.

Human connections help us be better people, and acknowledging your need for interaction is a significant step. Understanding how your mental health affects other people helps you to become more mindful. There are various platforms that offer mental health assessments for adults, and this helps you have a general idea about your mental and emotional state. Strong, healthy relationships have the foundation of love, trust, and respect, but being mindful goes a long way in maintaining them. Mindfulness is a blend of self-awareness and empathy that allows you to acknowledge and react to your emotions with respect. It trains your mind to space reactions from the triggers. Before you react to someone or something, take a deep breath, and pay attention to your emotions.

Loneliness

For starters, we must understand the difference between lonely and alone. Being alone does not equate to being lonely. Some people tend to live in solitude but have full, meaningful lives. On the other hand, some people feel alone, even when they are socially connected. Loneliness comes with negative effects such as spiking blood pressure, an increase in the secretion of the stress hormone, poor sleeping habits, and feeling unhappy and discontented. In this case, loneliness becomes a risk factor for depression, antisocial behavior, and suicide.

Getting help

If you’re having trouble or feeling overwhelmed, it is okay to seek help. You could reach out to someone in your close circle or opt to get professional help. However, many people shy from professional help because of mental health care cost and the stigma around it. However, a professional will help you address your situation, and if necessary, offer mental health prescriptions. Even though not all of them will include medication, they will help you identify triggers, minimize the symptoms, and build on your resilience. Alternatively, you can join support groups with people who share your concerns or struggles. There are also social platforms on the internet that put up mental health updates. These include posts that help you deal with stressful situations, referrals to professionals, or online support groups.

The issue of mental health in women is equally important as that of men mental health, and nobody should feel sidelined in such matters. Given that we tend to adopt the habits of those we are close to, interacting, and creating relationships with people should be based on the quality of life we want. You can support mental health causes by teaching others about mental health awareness colors to combat stigma.

Improving and maintaining relationships

If you think creating stable relationships is a lot of work, then you are not far off. However, they are not supposed to drain you in any way. Relationships are supposed to be reciprocal, so if you find you are doing all the heavy-lifting, you should step back and evaluate yourself. In addition, being open-minded will help you understand perspectives, meaning you’re able to understand others more. Be willing to compromise in some situations; you don’t have to be right always. Pay attention to the habits you assimilate; not every habit is good and healthy, even if the person you love is doing it. Invest physical time in your relationships. Calls and texts are one thing, but nothing can beat the intimacy of physical contact. So go on dates with your partner or join your friends for an activity.

Conclusion

Establishing and maintaining healthy relationships may be tasking, but it is always worth the effort you put in. It helps with your mental and physical health, allowing you to make the right life choices. What are some of the things you do to maintain your relationships? Drop us a comment below. We would love to hear from you!