Each and everyone of us have friends or family members who have been in or are still in "bad" relationships. "Bad" meaning they are not appreciated by either their significant other or by even their children. The basic underlying problem when a person is being mistreated by others is their own opinion of themselves. Many times, young girls see their parents in bad relationships and develop the idea that what they see is love. Most of the time, the person in the bad situation who is being mistreated does not see that they are being treated badly. They assume that people treat them that way because they deserve it. Sometimes they think that they are not as important as others so it is acceptable to be treated as less than.
The primary reason for reading or writing information about a subject is to learn more about it for yourself. That is the reason that I chose this topic. Developing good relationships with other people is directly dependent upon your personal realtionship with yourself. When preparing to write an article on women's health issues, I chose relationships because they play such a vital role in all our lives. I have personally experienced physiological problems from emotional experiences related to relationships in my life. Learning to be human and treat myself with the same respect with which I treat others has to be the most valuable lesson I have learned. I have counseled women both individually and in group settings on the subject of relationships and self esteem. Women with low self esteems are more likely become involved in codependent relationships. These same women tend to go from one bad relationship to another sometimes another relationship with the same problem.
The place to begin is within. It is nearly impossible to be in a good healthy relationship with someone else when you are not emotionally healthy yourself and the number one key to being emotionally healthy is a good self esteem. The way we feel about ourself directly impacts everyone we touch. When we do not take time to love and respect ourselves, we cannot expect others to care. The fact is you have to be your own number one cheerleader. You are as deserving of love, respect and happiness as any one of the people that you provide those things for. I plan to explore all the aspects of developing a healthy and happy self, finding a worthwhile mate, and cultivating a good healthy relationship.
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to
Shelia Collier's
Relationships topic, please visit the Discussions page.