Construct Your Relationships

Image courtesy of ideas.ted.com

Living a healthy life is about more than just diet and exercise. I’ve stressed the fact that mental health is important too. But, what does that really mean? To me, it means being happy with all the aspects of your life. Now am I saying that you’re going to be happy all the time? No, not at all. However, you shouldn’t be miserable all the time either. So let's talk about the different relationships in our lives that tend to get overlooked when we talk about happiness.

Happy Family Relationships

A happy relationship goes beyond just your romantic partner. It includes your family, circle of friends, acquaintances, and even people you interact with online.

Navigating problems in family life can be like walking through a minefield. You (probably) love them. You want to help them, but also need to do what’s best for yourself. Often conflicts of interest can result in fractures among family members over things like money, property, what to do with aging parents. All of that crops up without even dipping into childhood traumas and other things that can result in complexes. The point is, sometimes to have a happy family life you need to distance yourself from them. If that isn’t possible, talk to a professional, or have everyone in the family talk to a professional.

Happy Constructive Friendships

The old saying goes that we can pick our friends, so we have to pick them wisely. I think that is true to an extent. You can only be friends with people that want to be your friend. Typically, you have to have somethings in common. Despite how much people would like to be friends with their favorite celebrities, that will probably never happen. For one thing, there is not much in common there to build a friendship on. On top of that, if your common thread with your friends is destructive, maybe you should find better friends. For example, if you just hang out, smoke weed, and waste money you’re not building from that friendship. Of course everything is good in moderation, but it’s on you to be mindful of when you’re chilling a little too much. It’s hard to distance yourself from the people you have known for a long time, but when you grow that has to happen. And, again just find the balance. It’s easier now than ever before to maintain friendships through group chats and sending memes.

Happy Work Environments

There is a Confucian saying that goes “If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.” That is bullshit. Even if you love your job you’re going to be working. Work is hard. It’s not always fun. That being said you should not be miserable all the time at work. If you cannot get a job that makes you happy, at least find some comradery at work. Someone to joke with, talk shit about bosses, difficult clients, or frustrating customers. We usually spend forty hours a week at work so they should be enjoyable.

Make sure you look after yourself. It is 2019 and we no longer have to wallow in a flat idea of what it means to be masculine. If you are unhappy with an aspect of your life, say something. You have to do something if you want something to change. That’s all this time, make sure to share and subscribe. As always, eat well bro.