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For many, it seems like common sense that the people we choose to surround ourselves with not only shape our perception of the world, but also our feelings, thoughts, mannerisms, and especially our moods.
But what makes a relationship? What is the difference between Tom Hanks’ character in the movie Cast Away’s relationship with his volleyball, and yours with your best friend—in essence not much. While your best friend is probably a bit more talkative, both relationships were formed out of the human need to be close to one another.
For many of us, our first relationships begin with our parents, siblings, or family members. The relationships you foster with your family are often the strongest, and your family are among the first people you might contact if you are facing a problem.
“A family that functions well is central to a child’s development. Parents can help children learn how to listen, set appropriate boundaries, and resolve conflicts,” says News In Health, an outlet within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Parents teach children by example how to consider other people’s feelings and act in ways to benefit others.”
As we talked about previously in our introduction to this series, making connections during this time of year is important for our mental health.
One way you can do that is to contact some of your family members and have a chat. After all, your family is who helped shaped your ability to form relationships, and thus should be a great source of emotional strength or resiliency.
“That caring adult could be an older sibling, or a parent, or someone else in the family, the kind of people who have a large influence in communicating to the child that they matter and that they’re safe, and that they have a place to go when they are needing extra support,” said Dr. Jennie Noll of the Center for Healthy Children at Pennsylvania State University.
So, despite that slugfest you might have had with your siblings over the last bit of eggnog or listening to the same story for the 57th time from your grandparents, try reaching out and re-connecting with some of the strongest, oldest, relationships you have!
While not all of us may have close family to reach out to, what we do have is our Navy family. Hopefully, you’ve found a close friend you might share a work shift with, or perhaps engage in physical fitness together. These friendships can often be cultivated doing any activity and can be just as strong and fulfilling as those of your family.
“Studies have found that people who have larger and more diverse types of social ties tend to live longer,” NIH said. “They also tend to have better physical and mental health than people with fewer such relationships. Social support may be especially protective during difficult times.”
Work centers provide a special kind of opportunity to make friends, especially when you are stationed together, and even more so when living abroad.
Your fellow service members and civilians might come from different backgrounds but ultimately might share similar experiences too. Making new friends and creating new, positive, experiences together can really help make the post-holiday slump go by a little easier, but also turn a good duty assignment into a “great” one.
The bottom line is that your friends might very well be your first or second line of defense against the previously discussed “winter blues.”
Calling on them for support, and in-turn providing them support, allows each other to flourish emotionally and mentally. Learn to open yourself up to friendship, and make your own friendship available to others, and you will find yourself growing in more ways than you previously thought possible!
Finally, the last type of relationship we will be covering will be one of a more intimate nature—romantic relationships, which are another important vector in maintaining one’s wellness and overall mental health.
Dopamine, a chemical in your brain often associated with how you perceive “rewards” or beneficial situations, is consistently active when in an intimate relationship. This of course contributes to the constant “feel good” sensation you experience and is an important part of why being in a relationship with someone special contributes to your emotional and mental wellbeing.
“That is a mood intensifier, so people feel extremely positive and appreciated,” said Dr. Helen Riess, director of the Empathy and Relational Science Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. “When people feel securely attached, their stress levels go down.”
But the increase in dopamine is not the only perk to being in a romantic relationship. Couples, when in a healthy setting, bring out the best in one another—this can manifest itself in the easing of each other’s anxiety, working toward bettering oneself, and even adding longevity to one’s lifespan.
So, as we continue to buckle down during the remainder of January and find ourselves facing a variety of challenges, let us reach out to, and lean on some of those relationships we have so carefully and intimately cultivated to help each other learn, grow, and practice safe and happy wellness techniques.
If you are seeking help or assistance, please reach out to the Fleet and Family Support Center at 243-3372, or the USNH at 243-5352 for relationship counseling and other related support services.
For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet’s forward deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2022 23:11 |
| Story ID: | 414571 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Resiliency in winter: Step One – Relationships, by Patrick Ciccarone, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
