Relationships and well being

“You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”

Those are the words of the Greek philosopher Epicurus. What he said thousands of years ago still applies to meaningful, supportive relationships and the positive effect they have on our well being.
Experts say that long-term, high-quality relationships are beneficial. Relationships can make us feel happier and healthier, physically and emotionally and less likely to do things that affect their well being. People in supportive relationships help each other through good and bad times. Just about all relationships can have challenging times.

Mental health issues can have a negative impact on personal relationships. A partner with mental health issues can challenge the relationship with their partner as well as with other family members, relatives and friends.

If a person has a mental health problem, family can provide the most immediate informal support and care. In fact, husbands, wives, partners and other family are often the most immediate and most important support. With the decreasing of stigma associated with having mental health issues or seeking treatment for them, people are finding it easier discuss these problems and to seek professional help.

Our relationships play an important part here. The support is just as important and that support can have a positive effect on the treatment itself. That support, particularly the support from a close relationship is important to protect because it, in turn, protects us against negative health and mental health problems.