Disclaimer, mention of substance abuse and suicide
Human beings are social beings and we require relationships to sustain as functioning individuals of a society. These relationships can be personal, like family, partners etc, or professional, like an organisation and its client. Regardless, effort has to be put in by all parties in the relationship to maintain them. Through this article, you will get to know about relationship management and its importance, among many other things.
What is Relationship Management?
Simply put, relationship management means managing relations in one’s life. In professional terms, it means the management of relationship between an organisation and its clients. But it also goes deeper to mean that it is the management and maintenance of positive relations with the people in one’s life. These people can be your spouse, family, friends, colleagues or even employees.
“Positive relationships where an individual is valued, cared and respected is focal to them having good mental and physical health. Which is why maintaining relationships should be an important of your life”
Psychologist Dr Hena N N
What are the Problems that can Arise in a Relationship?
One individual will always be different than the other, and therefore, the emotional exchange between two of them will take place in different ways. As a result, maintaining a relationship would mean having to overcome many challenges. These challenges or hurdles may be a result of many things.
Miscommunication, lack of mental health, lack of respect and appreciation for each other, lack of responsibility in maintaining the relationship and unrealistic expectations are few of the things that can rupture a good relationship. Two of the major causes of problems in a relationship, according to Dr Hena N N are substance abuse and toxicity. Substance abuse often negatively affects your mental and physical well-being, in turn affecting your ability to maintain positive relationships, causing harm not just to yourself but also to those around you. Accepting toxic ideologies and imposing them on those around you is another deal breaker when it comes to any sort of relationship.
How do you Know that you are having Problems in your Relationship?
“You know you are having problems in a particular relationship when you analyse yourself and how that relationship makes you feel”
Dr Hena N N
You are probably having problems in your relationship if:
- you don’t feel happy in that relationship
- you feel that the relationship hinders your growth in various aspects, like mental, social or emotional
- maintaining the relationship feels like a tedious task to you
- you find yourself unable to get out of the relationship even when you know it has become toxic for you
- there are constant arguments over trivial matters and one person blames the other or you blame each other all the time
- you have suicidal tendencies as, for example you think of it as a better option than having to continue the relationship
- you feel you can’t be yourself or feel forced to live a ‘secret life’
- you are unable to express your wants and needs
Can Professionals Help in Mending a Relationship?
Dr Hena N N believes that professionals like herself can help with relationships to an extent.
“When you go to a psychologist, or any other mental health professional, you can’t expect a tailor-made solution. What they essentially do is make you realise what the problem is and help you arrive at the right decision”
Dr Hena N N
Mental health professionals enable you to think and realise the problems that were previously unidentifiable, ensuring that you make the right decision all the while empowering you to make it on your own.
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