communication
Healthy Relationships: 10 Tips To Encourage Thriving Relationships
Healthy Relationships: 10 Tips To Encourage Thriving Relationships
Improve Your Chances of Healthy, Thriving Relationships!
Healthy relationships
permit us to connect and
share time with the people
that we care about
in a positive, fulfilling way.
Positive relationships give us
strength and purpose in our
day-to-day lives.
They also bring happiness, joy and love.
“Be tender loving one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.”
— Romans 12:10
It is no secret that close relationships are the cause of great pleasure in our lives, but they are also the cause of great pain. When relationships start falling apart it can be very traumatic and emotional.
Do you ever wonder how you can have such a deep connection with a person one day and the next day feel like you don’t even know who that person is? How do we bridge that gap and avoid the disconnect in the first place? How do we begin to heal broken relationships and keep them healthy?
10 Tips To Encourage Thriving Relationships:
1. Communication
Communication is one the most important things in a relationship. There is an art to communication and it can continually improve. Humans are not mind readers, so they need to have an ongoing exchange of feelings, problems, needs and desires; while always striving to improve listening and speaking skills. Mastering communication will help avoid misunderstandings and frustration by transforming arguments into effective communication.
2. Honesty
Honesty in relationships is about honorable intentions and actions. Honest people are frank but they act in love. Thriving relationships include people that are honest with each other; their intentions are good and are only meant to help the other person and the relationship. Honesty helps create an atmosphere of peace.
3. Trust
Trust creates strong connections in relationships because people have to rely on each other. When there is trust in a relationship, there is confidence that another person will do what they said they will do and what they are responsible to do. Trust eliminates fear and replaces it with a confident expectation and hope.
4. Empathy
Empathy helps identify the thoughts and feelings experienced by each other, and in turn supports a healthy relationship. To empathize with another person requires taking the time to see and feel things from their perspective and get a heartfelt understanding of where they are coming from, what they have been through, and why they think and act the way they do.
5. Optimism
An optimistic, positive mindset expects positive interactions and relationships. The optimistic person does not get so shaken up when they hit bumps in the road, but they look for positive solutions and anticipate positive results. Optimism leaves no room for negativity.
6. Genuine
Genuine people are confident in who they are and feel free to be themselves. They have moved past the notion that they must be “perfect” and give themselves and others the permission to make mistakes without beating themselves up. Genuine relationships are real, without false pretense, and mess ups are faced with love and forgiveness; allowing for a healthy, thriving relationship.
7. Loyalty
Loyalty builds faithful relationships. Loyal individuals commit to remaining faithful through the good times and bad. They can be trusted to keep their word and be there when you need them. Loyalty is a core key needed in long lasting, thriving relationships.
8. Respect
Respectful individuals admire and esteem others. People that practice respect are courteous and allow others the right to their own personal space. Relationships with individuals who keep respect active, and purpose to esteem others and value them worthy, are relationships that are healthy and thriving.
9. Reminisce
Reminisce about the past. Remember times shared together; including the good times and the bad. Reminiscing about the challenges and hard times that have been experienced and overcome, strengthens the bond in the relationship. And reminiscing about the good times with a smile and a laugh, keeps the heart and relationship merry. 🙂
10. Love
Love is the bond that holds relationships together. God is love and love should be present in all our relationships. Love chooses to be loving even when the passion and emotion of love is not present. Their are times in relationships when disagreements arise and individuals may not even like each other, but they choose to love each other.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
— John 13:34
What’s your relationship standard? If you are willing to start with yourself, and open your heart and mind to make some positive changes, you can greatly improve your chances of having long lasting, healthy, thriving relationships.
May your relationships thrive and your life be full of growing prosperity!
Soar higher,
Brenda
Christian Parenting – Stop Using Negative Verbal Attacks and Start Parenting with Words that Prosper!
Christian Parenting – Stop Using Negative Verbal Attacks and Start Parenting with Words that Prosper!
Parenting With the Power to Help Our Children Prosper
Parenting with a healthy pattern of communication is possible.
Do you want to help your children prosper?
Just as the world around us has harmful elements, so do our homes; even our Christian homes.
As unfortunate as it is, we often hurt each other, especially our children, with our words.
Did you grow up with parents who used words as verbal attacks?
If you did, I’m sure you hoped you wouldn’t do the same with your children. But the truth is, you will probably repeat the pattern unless you purpose to take action and stop it.
Stop the Negative Communication Pattern of Parenting
Changing your parenting communication pattern from one that uses negative verbal attacks is possible. Developing healthy patterns of communication, which reflect the presence of Jesus Christ, is key!
I’m sure you would agree that the cruel, degrading, judgmental, hurtful words we use to communicate with our children must stop. It is like verbal poison that wounds and destroys our children emotionally. Our words are often negative attacks at a child’s behavior, intelligence, appearance, or value as a person.
Verbal attacks can be direct or indirect. The following statements are some common examples:
- You’re worthless and will never amount to anything.
- Don’t act so stupid. Can’t you do anything right?
- You are no good. Why can’t you be like your brother?
Just because we can’t see the inner damage that verbal attacks cause in our children, does not mean a negative impact still isn’t left lingering in them.
Parenting With Words That Prosper
How do we change a negative parenting communication pattern to one that is positive and helps develop our children into prosperous individuals?
Acknowledging the need to change is the first step. The next step is identifying abusive words we use. Then we need to begin exchanging the destructive, hurtful words with constructive, guiding, nurturing, and encouraging words.
James said the tongue is full of deadly poison and out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. (James 3:8-10) We need to lean on God’s help to keep our words, words of blessing and encouragement.
When our words are full of nurture and encouragement, our children know we are standing with them and not against them. Children need their parents to believe in their potential as they guide and discipline them.
Believe in your children. Help your children see themselves the way God sees them. Help them find their unique, gifted potential and you’ll also find they begin to respond in ways you desire. Once they discover you are standing with them, a healthier communication develops.
Yes. Our children try our patience, irritate us and sometimes humiliate us in ways we never thought possible. Problems, difficulties, disappointments, heartaches and failures are an unavoidable part of parenting. But we can choose to respond with words that heal instead of words that wound.
Bottom line: A parents words have power. We can make our children feel worthless or we can choose to learn how to parent with a healthy pattern of communication; one that helps them think as highly of themselves as God does, and helps them prosper.
May you parent your children with words of love and enjoy a family blessed with growing prosperity!
God bless you always,
Brenda
P.S. Feel free to share your comments…