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Last reviewed 3 July 2018
Putting time into your relationships can help you feel connected, boost your energy and, ultimately, help you keep a healthy headspace.
“I get a sense of satisfaction out of relationships, in terms of being able to connect with other people. It grounds me a lot. When I get stuck in my head, having relationships that I care about can bring me back out”
- Sophia O'Callaghan hY NRG
Download our factsheet on Relationships and mood
Relationships and your mood
Healthy relationships are super important for your mental health. When you spend time with people you care about, who care about you, this can help you feel connected and supported.
And yet, we know relationships aren’t always easy. Starting new relationships can often be scary. And if you’re experiencing mental health difficulties you may feel like disconnecting from people, rather than reaching out.
But here’s the thing – the more you work on your relationships, the stronger they get.
Strong relationships can give you support when you need it and provide a sense of belonging and community. And when you spend time connecting with and supporting others, your wellbeing improves too!
Here’s how investing in relationships can improve your headspace:
- boosts your energy
- improves your sense of belonging
- helps you relax
- helps you feel supported.
Ask an expert
How can I work on my relationships? Our headspace team have the following tips for navigating relationships:
- Focus on positive relationships that make you feel good about yourself. Those where you support each other and where you feel you can be yourself.
- Every relationship can bring you different benefits, so try to keep a variety of people in your life, such as friends from work or school, teachers, parents, people who have similar interests and more.
- Communication is important. When you are open with people, they will be more open with you - which strengthens your relationships.
- Understand that socialising and keeping relationships can be hard and have challenges. Occasionally you may feel left out, different, even criticised. Just remember, it’s normal to feel this way sometimes and the feelings will pass.
- Your relationship with yourself is an important relationship too. And, when you look after yourself it can teach you how to look after others as well.
Sophia O'Callaghan
“I find it hard to focus on relationships when I’m struggling. When I moved away from home for Uni I was thrown into this environment where I didn't really know anyone and I did just have to make a lot of attempts at making friends. I think that's probably been a big source of anxiety for me – going out, trying to meet people and knowing it's not always going to work out.
I wasn’t a big party animal, I wasn’t really extroverted. But I learnt that you don't have to change yourself to try and fit into new friendships and new relationships and things like that. I focused on small level interactions that might not always eventually turn into a relationship. I think just having the confidence just to say, "Hi, how are you going?" Small talk was good to stay connected with my wider social environment.
I’ve come to see that working on relationships brings me out of my shell, not just talking to people, but getting out of the house and going to events and meeting new people as well. Sharing those new experiences, it gives me more energy, a bit more life and meaning, I guess. It’s a chance to find out more about yourself and others.”
Healthy habits
When you’re feeling stressed, anxious or low on energy it’s important to put healthy habits in place – to give yourself a better chance of coping with life’s challenges.
