Relationship Issues

Relationship Issues

Relationships issues is a wide ranging subject. People can struggle with relationships whether it be with friends, work colleagues, partners or family members, due to a number of different factors. Relationship problems can cause stress, loneliness, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and low-confidence. Communication breakdown can impact massively on everyday life, becoming all consuming and over whelming at times.

Relationship analysis is something which can prove useful as a way of developing understanding about how we form relationships, what we expect from the people who are in our lives, what the purpose of our relationships are - what they mean to us and why - and exploring if there are any habits and patterns of behaviour which may may be affecting the way we interact with the people in our lives.

It may be that there is a tendency to re-enact the past, whether it be with family members, friends or partners. This may result in frustrations and relationships being affected to the point of conflict or endings due to destructive patterns being repeated. There may be unconscious game playing taking place within relationships - whether it be destructive or nurturing, which can hinder or limit relationships due to over-protectiveness or controlling coercion.

The first relationships that we experience - those with our parents and siblings - are fundamental in how we experience future relationships. The way we see ourselves can be influenced by the way our parents treated us and how they made us feel, therefore if a person is struggling to value themselves they may attract those who see a persons low self-esteem and self-worth as an advantage for them. What we have observed throughout childhood also plays a part in what we believe when it comes to how to develop and maintain relationships around us. Somebody who has witnessed or been in an abusive relationship may struggle with trust for example.

Through the use of therapy, greater understanding can be obtained about how to process previous relationships and learn from past experiences - learning how to recognise negative patterns of behaviour within relationships and build strategies for managing them in the future. Triggers which can cause conflicts can be examined without judgement and in a safe environment. Through the use of therapy, relationships can become more meaningful and bring happiness and contentment.