Nurturing Positive Relationships
A relationship requires nurture in order for it to develop stronger. We all know the basics to maintaining a relationship with someone – communication, trusts and respect. However, it takes more effort to make it develop stronger.

 

Friendship is a bond between two people who shares a cooperative and supportive relationship. There are some instances where certain friends in your life become more distant as time goes by for several reasons – different social circles, conflicts, or lesser communication. Both parties are required to make the effort to keep in touch, give in to each other, creating a mutually beneficial connection.

 

That being said, if you find yourself being the only one that is proactive and interested in the relationship, and being the only one that is making any effort to maintain the relationship, you can start finding new friends to hang out with. Find other people that appreciate spending time with you.

 

Effective communication.  Even though there are many factors to building a strong relationship with another person, effective communication is indeed one of the most important ingredients. With the advancement of technology, most of us are able to email, poke, tweet, call, or text a friend in just a few seconds. However, most of us are just sitting ducks, waiting for others to ask us out or talk to us. Like this, both parties just wait out and want the other person to make the first move. Therefore, just step up and make the first move to contact the friend and catch up with them.

 

Support.  The relationship should have mutual support – both parties supporting each other through the ups and downs. By showing support to one another, you build a strong connection that helps the relationship to develop.

 

Acceptance and forgiveness.  It is highly unlikely to be in a relationship where there are no conflicts. The important thing is to face the challenges together and accept the mistakes, and forgive the other party. It is more important to preserve the friendship than to let it go just because of a silly mistake.

 

Humour and fun.  To be honest, a relationship will be ‘dead’ if it is too serious. Learn to laugh at the experiences you have with the other person, and just in general, have fun. Humour can be used to manage conflicts and challenges effectively if employed properly.

 

It takes work to maintain a friendship or relationship, but it is definitely worth it - you will reap its rewards/benefits.

How to Attract Positive Relationships


As the saying goes, “No man is an island”. We all need friends to share our joys and sorrows, and support us through difficult times. Satisfying relationships contribute greatly to a person’s sense of well-being.
Having trustworthy friends gives us a sense of security. We experience greater courage to take chances in life and to face challenges head-on, when confident that there is someone on our side that cares for us, whom we can turn to in times of struggle.

 

Being in positive relationships also contributes to our sense of self-worth. We find it easier to accept ourselves when we know that someone else accepts us for who we are. Our close friends give us an outlet to freely express our thoughts and emotions. Knowing that there is someone to confide in and share ideas with without the fear of being judged, is important to our emotional well-being.

             

As such, not only can forming positive relationships provide us with emotional support in trying times, it can also boost our perceptions of self, and hence, improve positive feelings in general.

 

You may ask, “Why is it important for me to have positive emotions?” Well, having positive emotions help improve our interpersonal relationships, adopt fresh perspectives to life, improve our appetites, and enhance productivity at work.

Since we now know that having positive relationships contributes to positive affects, how then, can we attract positive relationships?

 

Some effective strategies include:
Know your strengths and project them to the world.  Always keep in mind to focus on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. By consciously selecting to place attention on your strengths, you would tend to project forth the best parts of you.

See the best in others.  Everyone desires to be affirmed of the goodness within them. If you want to connect with an individual, start by paying attention to the strengths of that person. Spend some time noticing the positive qualities of the people around you, and tell them what you appreciate about them.

Give spontaneously.  Giving make you feel good. Practising soulful giving allows you to be more caring – you give because you enjoy giving, and you do not expect anything in return. Your friends, family members or colleagues would always appreciate simple tokens of appreciation from you.