Womens Network

Relationships Can be Beneficial to
Health and Happiness

Relationships of all kinds help us cope with stress and to live longer and healthier lives. Research has shown that having a network of friends and family helps us to manage stress, to recover from major illnesses, and even to live longer. In addition to family and friends, professional contacts can be important - such as clergy and doctors. Our network of relationships supports us by listening to us, caring about us, and even helping us.

To obtain the beneficial effects of a supportive network, it is important that our relationships be more positive than negative. While we all struggle with disappointments, hurt and anger in our relationships, there are times when these feelings become a source of significant stress for us. People often turn to psychotherapy for help with their relationship problems.

If you are isolated and without friends and family, psychotherapy can help with developing a support system to fit who you are. A therapeutic relationship can help restore confidence in your relationship abilities.

If your relationships are more stressful or dissatisfying than beneficial, psychotherapy can help by clarifying your reactions to others and by improving your communication of your feelings and thoughts. In order to share your feelings you must be aware of yourself, your fears and insecurities as well as your wishes and expectations, and aware of your pattern of connecting and disconnecting within the course of your interactions with others. Sharing and connecting in relationships bring satisfaction and reduce feelings of isolation.