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Romantic relationships are interpersonal, as well as those of family
members and friends. There’s also such a thing as secondary
interpersonal relationships. These include acquaintances, neighbours,
and others who you interact with on a regular basis.
In short, you have some kind of interpersonal relationship with everyone you know.
Whether you’re married or single, relationships are important for our
emotional and physical well-being. So it’s necessary to learn how to
develop and maintain them.
Some reasons for these relationships are listed below:
Interpersonal relationships are important for your overall physical and
emotional happiness. Relationships help fight loneliness while also
giving you a sense of purpose in life.
The closeness you feel with family and friends is an essential part
of your social support. Relationships in other aspects of your life
outside of romance and family can also have a positive effect on you;
such as getting together with acquaintances for a shared interest or
hobby.
All interpersonal relationships are built on loyalty, support, and
trust. Close relationships may also be built on love. Mutual respect and
reciprocation of these qualities is important in maintaining all your
relationships. Otherwise, the relationship can become one-sided.
Family, friends and intimate relationships are necessary for everyday life.
When you get married, especially in an African setting, your circle of
family widens to include in-laws. We cannot fully discuss interpersonal
relationships after marriage without considering your relationships with
in-laws as well. The significance of these relationships will show in
many facets of life, including the quality of your marriage.
Although your relationships with in-laws share some similarities with
relationships with your parents, you form your in-law ties as an adult.
So you don’t necessarily share a long history with them.
1.Be Open
Any strong relationship needs to have the willingness to be open. This
means the ability and desire to share what you’re thinking and your
feelings about different subjects. When you are open and willing to
share, it shows the other person that you care about the relationship;
that you want to create a close connection by being truthful and
receptive to the other person’s thoughts and feelings.
There’s a limit to your openness in a marriage. You want to cultivate a
beautiful relationship with your old and new family; but you want to
protect your marriage too. And honestly, the latter is more important.
2.Show Empathy
Here’s a saying you may have heard before:
Powerful stuff. One of the deepest human desires is to feel understood.
When you show empathy towards someone else, you are showing that you
care enough to understand how they feel. And that goes a really long way
in maintaining strong relationships.
Remember to show empathy whenever the opportunity presents itself in
your relationships. This helps all of us feel more supported,
understood, and most importantly, connected. And this goes for your
family members, your in-laws, and even your spouse. Let’s also include
your friends, your co-workers, and everybody you meet.
3.Be Respectful
It goes without saying that in order to help build and maintain strong
relationships, you will need to be respectful — respectful of the other
person’s time, opinion, feelings, and so on. This is vitally important
in one on one relationships such as a marriage or close friendship.
The same really holds true in close relationships that involve a group type dynamic.
4.Be Available
Giving your time is like giving a gift. Time is the one thing
we all have the same amount of same 24 hours in a day, same amount of
days in a week, etc. How you choose to spend that time says a lot about
you. And being available to someone shows that you value them enough to
spend your time with them. That is absolutely huge. Family visits,
picnics, and annual reunions will go a long way to strengthen your bond.
Being giving of your time shows the other person that you care enough
about them and the relationship to share your most valuable commodity.
Being available to someone will do wonders for maintaining strong personal relationships.
5.Establish Boundaries
Boundaries are critical for healthy relationships. A boundary is a
belief, or way of life, or conviction that you have. It involves your
beliefs, values, and limits. It’s important to be clear to other people
in your life, especially the strong interpersonal relationships, about
what your boundaries are.
It helps to create self-esteem and respect in the relationship. It’s
basically showing others what you stand for and what you will and won’t
allow in your life.
6.Be a Good Listener
Something most people tend to forget is that listening is half of all
communication. And when we get really good at listening, it becomes more
than half of our communication. That’s because being a good listener
will do wonders for your strong relationships.
Showing that you are actively listening will help boost the other
person’s self-esteem because it shows that you truly care about what
they are saying. This makes them feel important and shows that you seek
to understand.
It also means that you care about how the other person feels.
Source:Pulse