Nurture Your Family & Relationships

Connect with Your Family

One of the biggest challenges for families to stay connected is the busy pace of life. Mimi Doe presents seven core concepts for connected families. Doe asserts that by embracing the following seven core concepts, life can become more balanced.

• Tolerance: Let the little things go. Understand that those we love might have different pictures in their minds of how events should play out.
• Time together: Be creative and harvest more time for your family.
• Trial and error: Never give up. Continue to try new approaches and adjust for changing age and interest.
• Take it out into the world: Practice compassion in action as a family.
• Teach less, listen more: Honor each other's viewpoints and dreams. If you have kids, learn from them.
• Tools for living: Begin creating your family's unique toolbox of beliefs. Be specific about what beliefs and values make it into the box, why they are there, and how to put them to use.
• Total love: You cannot go wrong when you love deeply. Never assume that your family knows how much you love them. Show them often.

Nurture Your Relationships

According to Drs. Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks, in their book Lasting Love: The 5 Secrets of Growing a Vital, Conscious Relationship, the following concepts are instrumental in attaining a healthy and lasting relationship.

1. Become a master of commitment. Commitments need to be real, meaning that we need to make commitments consciously and realistically, not basing them on illusions or fantasy. It's important to be aware of precisely what you are committing to, so that you can realistically judge whether or not you have the capacity to follow through on the commitment.

2. Make commitments you can stand by. Healthy relationships require people to communicate effectively and to support each other. In a relationship, it is important to be honest and empathetic to each other's feelings, hopes, and dreams.

3. Break the cycle of blame and criticism. It is important to own your part in the relationship dynamics. If it appears as if something is entirely someone else's fault, remember that it always takes two. It's important to be able to set aside blame and criticism in order to effectively resolve conflicts.

4. It can be helpful to shift your attention away from "fixing the other person" and onto more creative expressions for resolving conflict. Shifting the focus in this way will help to inject more positive energy into the relationship.

5. Become a master of verbal and nonverbal appreciation. Showing appreciation of others is critical to healthy relationships. People need to feel that they are valued. Even the simplest expressions of appreciation are effective. You don't need to wait for a special occasion to express your appreciation, or to say it out loud - a smile can go a long way to showing someone you care.