While it is incredibly brave and attractive to declare ourselves as independent or self-dependent, human beings have been dubbed social animals for a reason. One, if we were just dubbed animals it would be extremely disrespectful to almost all of us. Two, and the one that’s not a joke, is that we are dependent on the presence of other people around us and the relationships we form with them.
The dependence is not just material in nature, and we all accept it at some level of our beings. In order to lead complete, fulfilled lives, it is crucial and healthier for us to have strong and durable relationships with people that we would like to have in our lives. So, here are some effective measures that we can use to forge and improve our relationships.
One thing that I would like to mention explicitly here is that this article should not be taken exclusively for romantic relationships. This is one major area where youth errs these days. Relationships with our parents, friends, workplace colleagues are just as crucial to build and maintain.
Without further ado, let’s get to it!
1. Be all ears
We’ve got double the listening faculties than we have got speaking faculties. And it is for a reason. Listen to people carefully and listen with the intent to understand. There are multiple benefits of listening to people. There is a higher probability of you learning something new while you’re listening than when you’re talking.
There’s also a lower probability of you saying something stupid when you’re listening to someone.
2. Curiosity doesn’t always kill the cat
Asking appropriate questions is an art that very few of us possess in the current scenario. Our questions and curiosity are tools that not only make us smarter, but also help us develop relationships with interesting people.
Asking genuine and intuitive questions educate us about the frame of mind of the people we are interacting with, but also gives them the impression that we are actually interested in interacting with them.
3. No legacy is so rich as honesty
Honesty is a virtue that we are all gifted with inherently, but we don’t really understand the benefits that this virtue provides us in the long run. Trust is the bedrock of every strong relationship. And how is trust built? Gradually, with small acts of honesty spread over the lifetime of a relationship.
In addition to this, honesty rids us of the burden of having to remember the version that we’ve told. It allows us to remember the one true version of what has happened. We’ve got a lot to remember as it is, haven’t we?
4. A high IQ is cool, but have you heard of EQ?
One peculiar feature that we are blessed with, which is yet another aspect that helps us differentiate ourselves from animals is our emotional system. However, this blessing, when gets out of hand, becomes incredibly arduous to deal with.
Learn to have inner emotional stability. This is a great tool to have in your arsenal when dealing with people. This, combined with listening and observation will help you a lot in dealing with other people’s emotions when they are needed to be dealt with.
5. Be there when it matters
Times change and circumstances follow this weird trough and crest pattern. When you find that someone in your social circle is experiencing convoluted circumstances, learn to be there, around them, when you’re needed to be.
Also, it’s extremely important to highlight, there are always times when you’re not necessarily required to provide a solution to the problem. Your presence is all that’s required. So, try and stay out of your head and chime in with solutions only when specifically asked to.
6. The space bar is the biggest key for a reason
While being there for someone in the time of distress is a very nice quality to have, it is just as significant to understand when it is prudent to take a step back and give the other people some breathing room.
Having to navigate through difficulty is demanding in itself, but having to deal with someone when they’re not required causes frustration, which would not be something that you’d want your relationship to be contaminated with.
We hope that this small composition provides you with the required information to help and better your lives in the social facet!
Read also: 9 Ways For An Introvert To Be More Fun