Loving Support – Relationship Tip #5

In every relationship there generally comes a point where the person we care about begins to act in a way that makes absolutely no sense to us. They find a hobby that we simply don’t relate to or they make choices that we can’t understand. It can be any number of things. The question is, how do we respond?

The answer may be one of our greatest opportunities to be an expression of unconditional love – we can choose to navigate beyond our feelings and support the person we love in their choice.

If we react or respond to their choices with anger, disgust or fear, all we show them is that we don’t respect their ability to make decisions.

Everyone desires to feel valued and respected, especially by those they love. So, no matter how greatly we may feel our response is justified, we must always ask ourselves: what matters more – our response in that moment or the overall impact our response will leave on the person we love?

If we feel the decision our loved one is making could be harmful, seek to understand why they are making the choice. Get to the root of the desire, then navigate forward from this awareness. Is it a desire for attention? Are they seeking something else completely?

Above all, it is how each of us choose to respond that will determine if this opportunity will bring our relationships closer together. Be aware in each moment as you navigate through it.

Nobody Likes To Feel Trapped – Relationship Tip #4

Have you ever found yourself in a relationship where you simply feel trapped? Be it by family, friends or a romantic partner – you feel as though you are bound to them in such a way that you have no other option than to remain in the relationship?

 

Relationships should never feel like a trap. If a relationship feels this way, it is a clear indication that there is something fundamentally misaligned in the exchange.

 

MISALIGNMENT DOES NOT MEAN…

 

a) that the relationship cannot be realigned – removing the feelings of entrapment

 

b) that it’s is all about the other person and their actions (often, this feeling is a sign that the person feeling trapped has internal actions to navigate)

 

WHAT IT DOES MEAN…

 

is that there is a need to observe the reason for the feelings and take the necessary steps to resolve them.

 

This may be stating the obvious, but what we might not understand is the cycle we are creating as we allow this feeling of entrapment to continue.

 

When we give permission for a feeling such as this to be a dominate feeling in our lives, we are telling ourselves that it is ok to feel this way. This establishes the foundation for the next relationship, then the next and all additional relationships. We unknowingly set a pattern until we become numb to it. We know nothing else and over time, we may subconsciously begin to seek that feeling.

 

Relationship Tip #4: If You Feel Trapped – Break The Cycle

 

Take time to understand what is generating the feelings of being trapped and take the actions needed to resolve them. Allow yourself to build healthy relationships based in love, not fear. You are worth it!

Relationship Tip #3 – Expectation Kills The Connection

If curiosity kills the cat, then expectation is definitely what kills the connection in relationships. What exactly happens when we expect?

Expect
To look forward to, require or consider due

Permit
To happen, to give permission for, to allow

These two definitions are key to know as we navigate in our relationships. Why? Because they detail how we tend to self sabotage relationships by placing expectations on the actions of those around us and/or the situations we are involved in with these individuals.

Allow me to paint the picture…

A 5 year old boy sits in front of his birthday cake. He has been eagerly awaiting a superhero themed party and a very specific spiderman gift. This small boy has told everyone over and over about the party and the gift for months. But, recently this child’s parents lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet.

On this day the child doesn’t receive the themed party or the spiderman gift he has been  expecting. What he does receive is a cake, family around him and a toy that his father spent days making for him.

What do you suppose happens to the child’s emotions on his birthday? Is he joyful over the love his parents are giving him and grateful for the gift he does receive? Or, is he upset that his built up expectations weren’t met.

This is how we tend to travel through life. We become the child whose party expectations weren’t met and we become disheartened each time we don’t receive what we have built up in our minds. The layers of disappointment mount until we are so weighed down that we don’t remember how to be anything but disappointed. This creates a cycle in all relationships. We expect that we will be disappointed.

There is a way to turn this cycle around.

When we release expectation and permit relationships to present themselves as they are – we begin to recognize the gifts that are being offered in the current moment. Disappointment fades and we understand that even when we don’t agree with an action or an outcome, there is opportunity for growth within it. We see the beauty and freedom in the allowance instead of the limitation set by the requirements of expectation.

Relationship Tip #3 – Release Expectation and Permit Things To Unfold

Relationship Tip #2 – Embrace Silence

How frequently do you take time to enjoy quiet moments of connection with the people you love the MOST…? 

I’m not talking about sitting beside each other on the sofa watching television OR staring at iPhones in the same room. 

I mean true connection without words. 

Looking at each other for more than 15 seconds. Holding hands. 

Hugging one another… in a way that shows you REALLY mean it.

When we become dependent on words to express ourselves within our relationships, we not only weaken our other forms of connection within that relationship, we also miss out on many amazing opportunities to journey deeper within ourselves. 

That’s why the second tip is… EMBRACE THE SILENCE.

Embrace the silence and begin to explore new ways to express how you feel for those you cherish.

There are an infinite number of ways to do this, from small gifts and gestures to a simple touch of their hand…stop limiting yourself to one form and explore your infinite nature!

 

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Relationship Tip #1: Love & Respect

As we head into 2017, my partner Austin and I would like to select some of our most requested topics for coaching and begin to dive into them on our blogs and FB pages. At the top of this list – Relationship Support.

Joining together with another person, be it romantic or otherwise, offers unique opportunities to observe qualities within ourselves. We may not always see it this way. Often, we allow our focus to travel to what we desire to ‘change’ about our partner. When we do this, we may not take that step back to understand what opportunities exist for us to grow within ourselves.

The fact is, most highly functional and successful relationships are built by two individuals who have little to no desire to change one another. They may not agree with every quality the other chooses to express in each now moment, but changing that quality doesn’t come into discussion. Instead, the couple seeks to understand the quality or simply agrees to disagree and honor the perspective of one another.

For some reason, many of us have created this notion that when we are in a relationship with someone, we have to completely and fully align. That if we don’t share exactly the same values, beliefs, desires, etc. that the other either needs to conform  (or we do) in order to move forward. Why?

Many of the closest friends and happiest couples Austin and I have had the honor of meeting with are as different as can be…but they do share one common bond – a deep love and respect for one another. When this exists, all else aligns.

This is our first tip for 2017 – allow yourself to stop over-complicating relationships in life and build from this beautiful foundation — pure love and mutual respect.

~In Loving Service
Amber