There’s an assortment of articles about helping us build healthy relationships with our partners and loved ones. But we don’t hear nearly as much about the most important relationship in our lives: the one with ourselves.
As writer and photographer Susannah Conway said, “Your relationship with yourself is the foundation of everything.”
Having a good relationship with yourself gives you important insights into your life. For instance, years ago, John Duffy worked as an accountant. But he wasn’t happy with his career path. “I had to look within to determine who I was and what I wanted,” said Duffy, Ph.D, now a clinical psychologist and author of the popular book The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens.
“Were I not eager to get to know myself well, I would not have made the career change that allowed for so much possibility and happiness in my life,” he said.
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Having a healthy relationship with onesself is wonderful but is often a daunting task for many. The tips listed above are great for developing and hopefully maintaining this positive self image. Secure attachment at an early age may be an added factor to developing a healthy sense of self. If we are made to feel secure and know that we can count on “someone” when times are difficult it could be much easier to feel like we are capable of coping. A securely attached child will tend to be more independent and outgoing because they know that if needed they have the [emotional] resources to face challenges. The first relationship (with caregiver) can be viewed as the most important one and the one that dictates the relationship we have with ourselves.
Great stuff! Loved it.
I do teach and preach the same ideas but could not say it as nice and clear as you did it.
Cheers,
Dr. Joe