Aim: How can healthy relationships help improve emotional health?
Do now: List the characteristics of a healthy relationship.
Using I-messages, self-talk and appropriate body language will help you express emotions appropriately and build healthy relationships.
Characteristics of healthy relationships include: Honesty, trust, care and concern, sharing experiences, being accepting of one another, getting and providing support, being a good listener (these are all ways we show RESPECT for one another), communication.
How do you think having good relationships affects your emotional health?
Friends, family, and school and work relationships form a basis for a good emotional health. You feel good about yourself when you have good relationships with others. Getting and supporting others is important to good emotional health.
There are many types of relationships in your life. Your emotional health can be improved with the support you get from your relationships. You can also improve your emotional health through what you give in relationships. Helping and supporting others makes people feel good.
What do you do in a relationship that makes you feel good about yourself?
Developing and maintaining all types of relationships requires effort. All relationships require the use of a variety of character traits and skills.
Worksheet: Responsible Relationships
Which skills did you apply in each situation? What aspects of responsible relationships do you feel are most important? Why?
Skills and qualities of responsible relationships:
Using I messages to accept responsibility for emotions
Honestly facing a person or situation, rather than avoiding or manipulating
Using humor to diffuse an emotional interaction
Taking turns talking and listening
Tone of voice and body language and words match
Recognizing and choosing the best time to talk
Considering the other person’s point of view
Respecting the other person’s physical comfort zone
Not bringing irresponsible behaviors from previous relationships into current ones
Using self-talk to think about what you can say or do before you act
Reviewing the results of your communication afterward and making changes if you need to.
All the skills listed above are important. Applying these skills to relationships not only shows that you are capable of being responsible in relationships, but also helps you feel good about yourself and contributes to your overall emotional health.