Previous posts: What Makes Us Happy
- Savor Everyday Moments
- Avoid Comparisons “Run your own Race”
- Put Money Low on the List
- Have Meaningful Goals
- Take Initiative at Work
6. Make Friends, Treasure Family
Seems like a no-brainer that happier people have good families, friends and supportive relationships. No matter who is in the relationship, the key is that it is more than a surface relationship or acquaintance, the relationship needs to involve understanding and caring. For some that will be their immediate family, for other, it’ll be their friends.
Having a safety net of people around you who love you and will be there when you need them is huge! If you are feeling like you have a lot of acquaintances, but not people who really know and care about you, it may be time to work on creating closer connections to those around you.
Sometimes people think their significant other will meet all their relationship needs, but I personally think that’s unrealistic. For one, that’s a lot for a partner to live up to and, women especially, value their friends as well as their spouses and other family members.
While men are more likely to rely more on their spouses, it’s also important for them to have close friendships in addition to their significant other.
What are your relationships like? Who can you go to when you need someone to lean on? Who can you trust? And is the feeling mutual?
Here’s a great quote from a fun little book I picked up called Without Stress My Life Would Be Empty,
“We may not have it all together….but together we have it all.”
Need I say more?
Next: 7. Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
*10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy by Jen Angel, YES! Magazine Winter 2009
