How Relationships Affect Your Happiness

Humans are inherently social “animals.” Throughout their lives, they form bonds with other humans in order to thrive in society. Positive relationships have more than just the obvious psychological effects, such as happiness and contentment in life, but also boost the long-term health of individuals and can even account for a longer life span with a happy, fulfilled life. On the other hand, negative relationships have adverse effects on a person, often becoming the cause of stress, reluctance to form new relationships, or worse, induce anxiety, depression, and long-term emotional trauma. 

 

Being Happy with Oneself is Important to Nurture Good Relationships with Others

We can never have happy relationships with others if we are not happy with our own lives, and it is very important to be happy with ourselves before we pursue a relationship. Often, people chase relationships as they are not content with their lives and end up in repetitive, toxic cycles that only sap their energy. So first, a person should learn to be able to handle themselves before deciding to handle the emotional weight of a relationship. Treatments such as counseling for depression, anxiety, EMDR, in addition to exercises like meditation, yoga, and mindfulness, often lead an individual to be able to be content with their own selves and lead to better relationships with others.

 

How Relationships Affect Teens and Adolescents

Love knows no age and no boundaries, and it is important to realize as we grow older, that teenage love is full of obstacles and challenges we overcome as we grow older. To this end, teen therapy, involving teenagers in counseling them so that they can understand their needs and learn to navigate the world. Teen therapy or adolescent therapy is often useful to ensure that they get the guidance they need. In addition to romantic relationships, familial relationships and friendships also contribute to the development of adolescents and teenagers. Often, due to absentee parents, military life, separated parents, divorce, toxic friendships, a child can go down a dark path. Treating a child, or a teenager, through the use of therapy, can overcome problems such as ADHD, trauma, and anger issues. 

 

How Outside Counsel Can Help Nurture Happier Relationships

It is extremely important in relationships to be able to understand when there is a need for professional guidance towards navigating their relationship is essential. To that end, couples therapy is beneficial, as it can help partners reconnect and be able to discuss their emotional needs and resolve any issues. Emotionally focused couples therapy is often used to forge a long-lasting sense of happiness in a relationship, to repair the fractures that have formed in between them, and to discuss their needs with each other.

Premarital counseling may help couples connect and understand each other better to work towards a long-term relationship. In marriages, counseling often makes a major difference, dealing with issues such as postpartum depression/anxiety, inability to satisfy your partner, unsaid complaints, and unresolved disputes. Sex therapy and counseling targeted towards bringing couples together is favorable. In case of any permanent, irreversible damage, divorce discernment, as well as co-parenting therapy assures that even if the relationship is beyond saving, neither do the spouses, nor the children carry over any emotional damage due to the severing of the bond. 

 

 

Hence, it is very important to understand that in order to have a positive life, forming positive relationships proves to be very fruitful, and seeking professional help can often help with the process, and give a new perspective towards life. If we can help with building, developing, or cultivating relationships, please schedule a time to speak at our locations in Woodbridge, Virginia, Fairfax, Virginia or our telehealth options.