-Mayah Taylor, MA

In last week’s blog we shared tips on creating your own happiness. A common theme we hear from our clients is that their happiness comes from the relationships and people around them. It’s true that meaningful relationships can be a key source of happiness and lead to a much more fulfilling life. But how do we create these meaningful relationships? How do we avoid common blunders that keep us from having those meaningful relationships we desire. In this blog, Life Cycles Counseling shares with you our top 3 blunders that stop you from having meaningful relationships.

Open Yourself Up

Meeting new people and forming new relationships invites a chance to experience something new. We as human beings are each unique and different in our own ways. For this reason, it’s helpful to approach new relationships with an open mind. Opening yourself up to new experiences and new relationships will give you a chance to expand your world and form a much deeper bond with those around you. When we become rigid and close ourselves off to other people and experiences, we severely limit ourselves and make it that much more difficult for others to form relationships with us. Opening up for others gives you a real chance to share your interests with others and also find common interests with other people.

Being Honest

A top blunder that can stop you from having meaningful relationships with other people is not being honest with others. Secrets are a relationship killer. Always evaluate your honesty with any relationship including intimate ones. When our actions are honest, we can create genuine closeness. Secrets can create a divide that can grow deeper and deeper until the genuineness of the relationship is called into question. A lack of honesty in a relationship can hinder the process of truly getting to know one another and opening yourself up to forming close bonds with others.

Boundaries

At our practice a common theme we see amongst couples and individuals is the struggle to set healthy boundaries within the relationships they form. Setting and enforcing healthy boundaries can be helpful in the success of any relationship whether it be a business partner, intimate partner, of a friend. It’s important to know what your boundaries are, and how to clearly communicate them. Being aware and enforcing healthy boundaries empowers you to have healthy, conscious relationships overall. When everyone in each relationship can share their needs, values, and boundaries with one another, it increases the chances of mutual trust and respect in all relationships.

There are many factors that go into building long-term relationships to ensure that they remain long-term. Avoiding these common blunders is key to keeping yours healthy long into the future. As always, share your successes and struggles by posting on our various social media sites or by contacting us here!