Our mental health plays a significant role in our relationships, including and especially romantic relationships. Whether you’re meeting someone new or moving through daily life with a long-term partner at your side, the health of your relationship relies on your own mental health. After all, a strained relationship with your own thoughts and emotions can lead to strained relationships with the people around you.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true: strong mental health creates strong relationships. By learning how to take care of yourself and improve your mental and emotional well-being, you also learn crucial skills for building and maintaining healthy, happy relationships with your loved ones. Explore some of the most important mental health tips for building stronger relationships.
Work With a Therapist
Mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and trauma-based disorders affect the way you build and maintain relationships with others. Moreover, many mental health disorders lead to symptoms like irritability, self-isolation, alcohol dependence, and other issues that take a toll on your relationships. But when you work with a psychologist, you can address and work through the role mental health plays in your relationship issues.
Even without a mental health diagnosis, though, it’s helpful to see a therapist. In fact, one of the most common reasons to see a licensed clinical psychologist is when you’re struggling with relationship issues. A therapist can help you work through mental and emotional challenges so that you can improve communication, boundaries, and other fundamental aspects of a healthy relationship.
Learn Healthy Communication
Communication is the foundation of any relationship. If you can’t communicate your needs and listen to your partner’s needs, then you can’t build a relationship based on trust, respect, and care.
Good communication is a skill like any other, which means it might take some practice—especially if you’re dealing with challenges from mental health conditions or trauma from unhealthy past relationships. Practice open communication by being honest about your thoughts and emotions. Let yourself be vulnerable and talk things out when you’re struggling.
At the same time, build active listening skills by paying attention to your partner when they speak. Listen with understanding and empathy so that you and your partner can share different perspectives and discuss hard topics when you need to without feeling afraid or frustrated.
Build Conflict Resolution Skills
From minor disagreements to bigger issues that impact both of your lives, conflict is a normal part of life. That’s why building conflict resolution skills is one of the most important mental health tips for maintaining strong relationships. The key thing to remember is that conflict doesn’t necessarily have to mean a fight. Being able to work through conflict in a measured and constructive way allows you to overcome issues together while making sure both you and your partner feel respected and cared for.
Skills like emotional regulation and distress tolerance—which you can build through therapy sessions—help you handle feelings of stress or frustration that arise with conflict. This allows you to react fairly and productively so you can resolve the issue with your partner without saying or doing things you’ll both regret.
