Learn How to
Reduce Relationship Stress
& Family Stress

Reducing relationship stress is easier when we follow a few simple guidelines. Learn how to increase harmony and cooperation in family life.

We’ve been married over 40 years and most of it has been quite happy.

So based on our experience, here are some ways to reduce family and relationship stress:

• Relationships are like a garden. They can give you years joy. But they have to be watered, tended and nourished.
• Be realistic. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship because there is no such thing as a perfect person (much less two of them).
• Recognize that the real source of our happiness is always within ourselves. Never expect some other person to "make you happy".
• Don’t talk about money after dark.
• Don’t raise burning issues when the other person is hot, tired, stressed, hungry or working to meet an imminent deadline.
• Don’t make assumptions.
  Learn to listen and ask questions.
  Practice communicating to reduce stress.
  
• Don’t assume the other person knows what you are thinking or can read your mind.
• The benefits of forgiveness are great. Forgiveness can fee us from the burden of the past. Remember the other person is doing the very best they can, the same as you. If they could have done better, they would have.
• Learn to take the long view, develop patience. Rome was not built in a day and neither is a good relationship.

• Focus on the positive. A relationship is like a rose. It has petals and thorns. Put your attention on the beautiful petals and ignore the thorns. What we put our attention on tends to manifest more in our lives.
• Make time to laugh and play together.
  Humorous stress relief can ease the heart and relax a lot of tension.
• Become aligned with the other person’s happiness as well as your own. Look for win - win situations. For example, when we go shopping, I tell my husband to bring a good book. (Shopping bores him and I think it’s in my genes.)
• Keep your promises as best you can.
  
• Stay committed. In a relationship, the rewards can be great, but it is not without challenges. Why stick it out when there is relationship stress, when our family member makes a mistake and it feels unforgivable? Honoring our long term commitments innately builds more self respect. Working through the difficult times gives us an opportunity to grow as people, and gives the relationship an opportunity to grow deeper and stronger than would otherwise be possible.
• Don’t take spouse, family members or friends for granted. Treat each day together as the sacred gift that it is.

You are invited to read about other key personal core values and behaviors which nurture and enhance good relationships.

Or, for an overview of more ways to reduce stress
visit Gentle Stress Relief home page.