Myth or fact
Best friends and romantic couples should spend as much time together as they possibly can.
Myth
When a couple spends all of their time together that can be harmful to their relationship and to the other relationships and responsibilities they have.
It is important to understand that spending time together is important, but its critical to balance time together and maintain other relationships and responsibilities.
Maintaining a sense of self (a persons individuality) is an emotionally healthy thing to do.
Share something you learned about shared and individual interests.
Friendships and romantic relationships often begin when two people share interests.
Friends and partners don't have to share all their interests with each other but they do need to find some common ground.
Conversely, if two people insist on sharing all their interests, this can cause friction between them. It is also problematic if a partner feels they should have to give things up they care about to make a relationship work.
Further, a relationship can struggle fi people don't support one another when they pursue their interests.
Provide an example of how someone can increase their social engagement.
Spend quality time with others
Join a club or group that is related to an interest or hobby
Spend time in nature
Express gratitude to others
Increase engagement with your community
Expand and diversify your social network by making a new acquaintance or friend
Provide social support to others
Get to know your neighbor
Video chat with a friend
Practicing empathy will help friends and couples have stronger relationships.
- Practicing empathy is an excellent way to stay in tune with the emotions and needs of a friend or partner. This can help manage conflict and build stronger emotional connections.
Share something that you learned about communication.
Healthy, open, and honest communication is the foundation for any healthy relationship whether platonic, collegial, or romantic.
It is important to understand ways to communicate that are respectful and direct.
Jot down what you want to say and practice saying it out loud
Use "I" statements and honest communication
Ask clarifying questions
Openness to compromise
Be a good listener including being mindful of body language
Be open to trying new things as relationships are constantly evolving.
What is a tip that can be helpful to use when communicating a difficult topic to a coworker, friend, partner, etc.
Jot down what you want to say and practice saying it out loud
Use "I" statements and honest communication
Ask clarifying questions
Openness to compromise
Be a good listener including being mindful of body language
Be open to trying new things as relationships are constantly evolving.
It's a good idea for couples and friends to have some of their own interests.
Fact
- Each person maintaining their individual interests is an important part of learning about themselves.
- Some people can feel isolated if they do not maintain other friendships and connections outside of a relationship, and this can make it difficult to maintain a healthy self-identity.
Share something you learned about respecting time and boundaries.
While a healthy relationship requires time spent together, it is not a good idea to devote so much time to one another that it impacts other important relationships or responsibilities.
It is important for people to respect each other's need for personal time and space and to not push one another to do things that they don't feel comfortable doing.
What are some of the positive health benefits of social connectedness?
Improve ability to recover from stress, anxiety, and depression.
Promote healthy eating and physical activity.
Improve sleep, well-being, and quality of life.
Reduce risk of violent or suicidal behaviors.
Prevent death from chronic disease.
Being able to say how you feel in a relationship helps make it stronger.
Fact
- In a strong and healthy relationship, both people should be able to express their feelings, even if its difficult.
- If someone does not feel they can express themselves, this could be a sign that they need to work on their communication skills, or that one person may be intimidating the other person.
Share something you learned about trust.
Being able to "count" on one another.
Consistent and respectful boundaries for one another
Applies to emotional boundaries, confidentiality, material possessions, and communication.
What is one neurotransmitter that is involved in positive experiences and happiness?
Oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin.
Feeling jealous that your partner has other friends shows how much you care about them.
Myth
- Feelings of jealousy can be normal, but it is critical to understand that if you have a strong relationship, you should be able to trust your partner not to do anything that would hurt you.
- Just like having interests outside of one another, having other friends can be a sign of a strong self-identity and confidence.
- If a partner or friend acts on feelings of jealousy to control what the other person does and who they spend time with, that would be isolating and could indicate abuse.
Share something you learned about balance of power.
It is important that one person in a relationship isn't making all the decisions about the relationship nor pushing the other into choices or situations that make them feel uncomfortable.
Friends and couples may have different ideas about how to balance power (e.g., some couples are more comfortable when both partners have paid work and other couples may prefer to divide work or responsibilities in other ways).
Unhealthy relationships can lead to an increase in the hormone ___________________.
Cortisol