Interpersonal relationships are the grease that moves your personal life around. Research has shown that having strong relationships builds mental peace and makes you less affected by stressful situations.
As such, it’s important that you create new friendships and most importantly take care of the ones that you have. You may think that strengthening your relationships is a daunting task but it’s very achievable. You can turn our cold relationships into warm dalliances that add joy to your life. This article will show you exactly how to strengthen the bond with your connections. Hop in and learn how to do it.
Be empathetic
It’s important to learn how to empathize with the people you care about genuinely. This way you will never find yourself with nothing to say when they are going through a tough time. People always remember the people who stood with them in tough times since they interpret that as care. They will want to be close to you since you care about their welfare and this will tighten your bond. They will always check on you to find if you need them and in the occasion that you need them, they will create the time for you.
Be authentic
People can tell a fake from miles away. Be yourself and be vulnerable. Vulnerability is what makes people draw together. This is because you learn the real person and you are prompted to also open up to them. This means you can tell when the person is happy or sad, and you can know how to respond to that.
On the contrary, if a person is pretentious to you, you can’t learn their true self and bond. So come on say it when you are irritated, excited, unhappy and even bored. This way you will be an open boo that easy to read and understand. The same way you ensure the authenticity of your Blonde Balayage is the same way you should be authentic in relationships.
Find positive traits in everyone
Studies have shown that when you compliment people, you make them feel good about themselves. These people are then going to associate you with feeling good and they will like you and want to be around you. This means they will seek you out and strive to make you feel good as well. Therefore go out and discover good things in people and tell them about them. Catch your friends and family being smart, kind, hardworking, a great cook, etc. and make sure to tell them. They will try to build on their strengths and this will build their self-confidence. They will return the favor and this will strengthen your relationship with them.
Listen keenly
Listening keenly to what your family and friends are saying is going to earn you positive points. Don’t worry if you can’t listen for a second without interrupting or hijacking the conversation. Listening is a skill that you can learn like any other. The key is to just listen intently to the person speaking instead of thinking about what to say back.
Similarly, stop thinking about your own stuff when someone is speaking to you. Make a conscious effort to listen attentively and this will help you resolve conflict, earn you respect and encourage openness among others. They are going to notice it and this will improve communication amongst yourselves and strengthen the relationship.
Be positive
When you are always sulky and having a pity party you will wear people down very quickly. As a result, your relationships will suffer since friends and family will avoid you. Learn some coping mechanisms to deal with negative situations in your life. You can share what is bothering you but you don’t have to talk about it all the time. Similarly, do not be the one who is always pessimistic with no hope for things looking up. If you build the positivity trait, you will be great company, which will, in turn, reinforce your relationships.
Work on your relationships
Your interpersonal relationships require you working on them. If this is not done, they will die a natural death. Plan things to do together with your friends if you want to strengthen the relationships. These can be coffee dates, visits to the museum, watching movies, and even cooking together. These activities will bring you together more often and help you will catch up with each other.
Govern your emotions
Nothing can wreak havoc in your relationship than uncontrolled emotions. As you know what you tell someone sticks around long after you have said it. When you master your emotions, you can remain calm and not make a situation out of control.
Similarly, people mirror your emotions, and this makes them react in the same way as you do spiraling out of control.
The Final Word
We have seen different ways you can make your interpersonal relationships better. Do not, therefore, leave that bond to weaken and wither away. As we have seen, strong relationships affect your overall life and you should protect them like you would your valuables.
It doesn’t matter if you had left your relationships to wither away, you can bring them back to life by following the above tips. What are you going to start with? Are you going to be a keen listener or work on your emotions? Pick something to start with, and in no time, you will become a best friend and confidant.