Our relationships with others can affect our health. In fact, the impact of social relationships on life expectancy appears to be at least as influential as variables like cigarette smoking, hypertension, obesity, and exercise. Are your relationships healthy?

There are many ways to promote health in your Relationships such as letting go of the ones that add stress to your life and nurturing the ones that make you feel better. Other ideas include identifying your triggers, letting go of expectations, not allowing technology to be a third party, and getting involved in your community. Four Quadrant Living can help you today!

There are numerous studies which show that love, gratitude, and touch have a positive effect on our health.People with a strong social network live longer and are healthier than those without. Research also shows the flipside to hold true. People with fewer social relationships have shorter life expectancies and experience a greater impact of various infectious diseases.

The good news is that we have the power to choose our relationships. We should put as much care into the people we surround ourselves with as we do the food we eat. A good, simple barometer is to ask yourself whether you feel better or worse after spending time with someone. If you feel worse, it is time to rethink the relationship.

Relationships come in many forms. Think about the list below and identify where you get the most support. Once you have identified your supportive relationships, spend more time with these people and cut out the others. Life is too short to be surrounding yourself with people who are draining your energy and depleting your health.

For additional ideas, check out the Relationships Blog.

If you need help managing your relationships, contact us today!