DEVELOPING SATISFYING AND SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIPS
A strong and satisfying relationship is something we all hope for but very few of us are ever taught the skills that are the foundation of a fulfilling and lasting connection with a partner. Most of the time we get by with a little help from our friends but sometimes we need professional help to get on track. Below are a few quick questions to get you thinking:
Are you wondering why you always seem to attract the same type of partner?
Have you and your partner become more like housemates than lovers?
Do you ever ask yourself “Should I stay or should I go?”
Are you struggling to adjust to a break up?
Do you fantasize that your next relationship will be completely different?
Does your relationship feel like a runaway train and the next stop is Splitsville?
Do you want to give your relationship the best possible chance of success but don’t know how?
If you answered yes to any of the above you may really benefit from professional relationship counselling.
Love is lovely but truthfully, is often not enough to sustain relationships through the challenges, and the changes we all experience in life as both an individual or as part of a couple or family. Time after time we can forget that successful relationships are built on skills. This is as true for intimate relationships as it is for our relationships at work.
But what are the skills that underpin successful relationships with a partner or spouse? There are three major skill areas which strengthen our relationships:
- Retaining and nurturing our own independence, which is our sense of self or who we are
- Availability, honesty and the ability to truly speak for self; and
- Redressing the power imbalance that inevitably erodes intimacy and connection.
For some of us, all that is needed is a relationship retune, while for others it may be an entirely new way of relating to each other – in other words a complete overhaul!
Re-examining and learning what’s required and how to apply the skills of successful relationships will always benefit us no matter what our personal circumstance. Improving our current relationship or learning how to identify and avoid repeating our relationship patterns in the future is the benefit of moving beyond love and into the nuts and bolts of how to make a relationship work.
A range of relationship focused counselling and group programs are available for individual’s and couples. Our partner may never be the wind beneath our wings but nor do they have to be a thorn in our side! Don’t let your love life become an 80’s love song – let’s work together to turn that ship around!