Barrie Young Greens

One of life’s truest pleasures are sharing relationships with other people, but what exactly is a good relationship? Well surely everyone wants to be or feel loved, but a relationship is about taking the time and effort to strengthen one’s abilities to be themselves with another specific person. Good relationships should be about dedicating one’s self to committing to healthy and strong ones that will make them happy and satisfied. Relationships can be friendships, dating or being with a significant other, and of course family – even members of the community or a type of culture share a relationship. One specific thing in common in a relationship are the combined goals, values and beliefs. Healthy relationships involve respect, trust, responsibility, honesty, security, support, and especially communication which is an ever increasingly important factor. Communication is at the heart of intimate human relationships – it is the foundation on which all else is built^[1]A person needs to appreciate the other and accept their differences, without trying to change everything about them – manipulative people are certainly not worth to be with and are out of the question. People need to support each other’s needs and wants; relationships are to stay meaningful but be worth something while serve some kind of purpose. Studies indicate that people with a strong social network have less illness, recuperate quicker if they do get ill, live longer and have a greater sense of well-being.^[2] People in relationships with others fulfill their emotional ties and help cope with everyday human survival. When a problem arises, it can be resolved in effective ways. In fact, there will always be the good and bad moments yet that is what make people work for in relationships – being there to listen and share while striving to become a better person or partner. Relationships build up confidence and boosts higher self-esteem. Not every relationship has to necessarily be one hundred percent perfect, but they can be one of the best gifts in the world.

Family is no doubt a social bond when it comes to relationships. They can be part of a person’s influence based on how they view themselves. The members in your family may be the closest people in your life, since you grew up with them and spent time together. Just like any type of relationship, families experience the highs and lows which is also part of life. Arguments and such emotions like sadness, hurt or anger are not unusual, but families can overcome these kinds of obstacles through communication and trust – there will always be conflicts from time to time. If issues are still not solved, there is nothing wrong with looking for professional help. Families need to be units of mutual caring and support; they can be sources of lifelong strength for all individuals.^[3] Morals in a family are also important and having respect is key to a good relationship. Strong families are able to withstand setbacks and crises with a positive attitude, and shared values and beliefs help them cope with challenges.^[4] Healthy parental relationships exhibit a trust that the children will make the right decisions, based on family values that the parents have instilled in them.^[5] Parents should nurture and care for their children, especially at an early age so they can grow up and experience proper development. In turn, they will eventually learn how to develop strong relationships with others too. It is essential for families to spend leisure time together with activities – for instance, joining family recreation programs, playing a game of soccer or even attending a theater event. Families must make time for each other, because they are a priority. Balancing work and personal lives from a busy lifestyle can be very difficult but being with family is a wonderful blessing. It is always encouraged for members of the family to take the effort to make their relationships work. No relationship will work out for the best, if there is no contribution which will ultimately cause families to feel oppressive.

Communication with family is vital for a healthy relationship. When people feel heard and respected, they feel better about themselves, are more open to solving problems, and are more likely to allow others to express themselves.^[6] Members in a family want to be able to discuss how they entirely feel and receive support, without any sort of backlash or negativity. If communication is not effective or present, then that is considered not healthy and will just lead to further disappointment. Families want to share ideas, thoughts and opinions together thus experiencing a deep connection with one another.There will always be conflicts in relationships, especially stress – it is normal to have them. Parents who cope with stress in healthy ways cannot only promote better adjustment and happiness for themselves, but also promote the formation of critically important habits and skills in children.^[7] Healthy family relationships promote a healthy environment which minimizes stress, improves decision-making, and offers open communication giving family members to lead a healthier lifestyle. Forgiving a person for their misdeeds, bad behaviour and poor actions is the right thing to do, since it is never wise to keep holding on to mistakes or bringing upon past concerns. Also, problems should never lead to heated arguments or fights because each individual needs to stay safe. If situations like these start to get out of control, it is better to wait for everyone to calm down. Remember to always remain patient until people are ready to solve the issue. Coming up with smart solutions to solve problems would be considered ideal in order to overcome them, thereby increasing problem solving skills. Communication within a family needs to have a clear message for understandability and remain open.Trust is just as equally important as communication because without it, relationships may fall apart. Family teaches you everything; they let you know what is right or wrong and have taught you how to adapt and survive in today’s ever changing society. It shows how much they truly care and give their attention to what you are dealing with, especially during the toughest times. Family gives you a valuable sense of belonging, which increases your well-being. Families with strong relationships build a good thriving society for all.

Friends may bring gifts of joy, happiness, memories, security and comfort. Friends included in one’s life is equally important like family because it is part of having a social circle; friendships are to be real and remain close – they are social bonds that require compatibility, good quality and functionality. In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements, but they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life: their friends.^[8] It is always good to continue keeping in touch with friends, since they offer support, stay honest and certainly respect boundaries as well as nurture one another. Again, communication is extremely important in order to keep friendships healthy and strong. Good friends will always be there for each other, through both the best and worst times. Friendships may change or might become difficult to manage, although it will be all worth it in the end. Every relationship counts and is natural to keep making them work. It does not hurt to meet even more people throughout life, especially when it comes to networking – expanding your social circle is nevertheless beneficial. Being with friends lets people to be themselves without receiving any kind of bad judgement or harsh criticism in return. To build and maintain healthy friendship, try to focus on the positive, listen with care, give friends their own space, avoid competition with friends and have different friends for all occasions.^[9] True friends will doubtlessly appreciate who you are as a person.

While good friends do not need to spend time together constantly, they do think of each other regularly and take time to nurture their relationship.^[10] Staying close with friends is not always easy, because each relationship invests in a lot of effort, energy and time – they need to remain balanced and fair for every person as friendships include give and take. Respect is a key element in each friendship. A friend has earned your trust because of their actions over a period of time; they are safe and trustworthy enough to be given respect or honor.^[11] We all want a friend who is willing to support us, and be there when times are much needed giving a sense of strong security. There comes a time when eventually, you and your friends may part ways to do different things. Even relationships that seemed strong may start to crumble as two people head down different paths, finding along the way that they have less and less in common.^[12] Therefore, it is essential to continue searching for friends throughout life that have similar interests or share a common lifestyle like yours. Of course it is always great to find friends who have different interests, backgrounds and experiences because they can broaden your horizons in life, by looking from their own perspectives. You never know, because different personalities can clash well together. That makes friendships even more exciting, unique and rare. When friendships do fall apart which sometimes unfortunately occur, it is best to move on and carry forward if nothing seems to work out. In fact, some failed friendships cannot be saved which are worth not fixing in the end – it is okay to finally let go as time heals all wounds. People change or grow distant due to various reasons happening in their lives, since it takes full commitment to keep friendships alive and well. No matter what happens, always stay true to yourself and make sure you remain happy. There is no limit to having a specific number of friends as long as the person such as yourself can relate to them. When a person develops close friendships with others, they have the opportunity to explore self-discovery and self-worth. They get a chance to know about themselves including their friends to a deeper level of mutual understanding as friendships are a continuing learning process. Friendship is something that lights up a gloomy face of the weary, enhances the performance of the weak as well as giving hope to the hopeless.^[13] Remember to cherish the friends you do have, because they can shape your lives in a rewarding way than ever imagined while placing a phenomenal impact on your psychological well-being and physical state.

One place we experience relationships most poignantly is with those whom we love, and choose to spend our time with. There are a lot of aspects involved in maintaining a strong and healthy relationship. It takes a lot of commitment to keep any relationship strong, and can be difficult at times; however the rewards can be well worth it. A good relationship must have a strong foundation to build upon; trust is a very important aspect of a relationship and without it, a relationship can be weak and result in both parties not being happy.^[14] The relationship cannot be just one sided, rather both people need to work together; enjoying common interests is a great aspect, however each person has different interests. Both individuals should be open to the interests each one has and the interest may turn into an activity that both will enjoy. The relationships we build with our loved ones can be very precious, and provide many benefits to our daily lives. These relationships provide support through times of struggle and joy, and they provide you with companionship and people to laugh and enjoy our time with.^[15] Relationships are a large part of society, and have long played a role in the way we were raised, and how we think, both of ourselves and others. There is much people can learn from these relationships that can lead them to be better people, and members of society.

Strong community relationships are important because they create a sense of trust and belonging to everyone in it, and through this, everyone looks out for each other and helps one another. In order to have a good relationship in the community, there must be trust, respect, shared beliefs, and responsibility between the members. This will help to ensure that a community is strongly connected, and supportive of each other. Self-respect and respecting everyone in the community are both important aspects to establishing a thriving community. Once self-respect has been established, then that person feels good about their self and can begin to help others and respect them; people do not want to be treated like mechanical robots with no emotion. A community relies on having shared beliefs and goals, because without them the community is not working towards anything as a whole, together; responsibility needs to be shared among the members.^[16] Community relationships take commitment, just like any other relationship, whether it is with friends, family, or an employer, you have to be committed. Compassion is needed so that the people in need will be taken care of and help will be given to those who need it. The members need to be tolerant of the children and the other people in the community, since they are more vulnerable; be kind to each other, treat people how you would want to be treated. By applying these values to the community, it allows the community to flourish, and build a durable and long lasting society.^[17]

Good relationships are an essential tool in the workplace, it allows for networks to be created, creates a positive atmosphere, and employees enjoy coming to work. Respect must first be built in order to create good working relationships; respect allows for an employee sharing at meetings to be heard by their fellow co-workers.^[18] Without respect, fellow co-workers may not bother to pay attention to their thoughts and ideas; sharing at meetings allows for everyone to get their ideas heard, rather than one person dictating their idea when no one else agrees. The more positive an individual is, the more people are willing and interested in getting to know them. Be supportive of your fellow co-workers, if they give their ideas, listen to them and be supportive even if you may not agree with them; collaborate together, because it shows that you are willing and enjoy working with other people. Be appreciative of your fellow co-workers, this will strengthen the relationships with them.^[19] Be careful of nonverbal communication, as it may give off the wrong idea to people; nonverbal communication can also be expressed while talking to people.^[20] By following these actions through, the workplace can become a more enjoyable, and productive environment to work in, allowing things to flow more smoothly and efficiently.

It is important that governments have a good relationship with the people that they represent because it creates a strong, and respected government; the government must be open to listening to the various opinions and ideas of the people, while trying to find a compromise that allows opposing parties to be happy; this is a foundation for trust to be built upon. The people should be allowed to participate and voice their opinions when they do not agree, and the government should listen to their concerns which allow for the relationship to continue growing stronger. Governments should act as the voice and mind of the people it represents, and act as a body of reason, and mediation between the many people it is designed to represent. Communication is also very important, as the goals of the nation should be clear to the people, so that nothing gets misunderstood and causes tension; the needs of the people should be met as their needs come up. Although the government is in control, there must be respect between the government and its people; the government must think of what its people want from it, and figure out how to make it happen.^[21]

There are many benefits provided by having good relationships, and is an important part of an individual’s life. With family and friends, it provides a support system as well as allowing us to be ourselves. With our significant others, a good relationship provides a sense of companionship, support, and another person to laugh with and enjoy our time with. In the community, a strong relationship creates a sense of security and belonging, while at work, it creates a network and can make our work environment more positive. As well, a strong relationship with the government is essential for effectiveness and well respected by its people. However, relationships are not always easy to maintain, it takes a lot of work to keep the relationship strong, no matter what kind of relationship it is; trust and communication are the two main keys to maintaining a strong and healthy relationship, however it will be well worth maintaining the relationship. People who have a lot of good relationships have healthier lives and live longer than those who do not. Conflict is in every relationship and it is important to deal with these issues as it comes because unresolved conflict can cause the relationship to grow weaker; the relationship may not be able to become strong again, causing the relationship to fall apart completely.