2022 Relationship Review

The end of the year is fast approaching and often we find ourselves reviewing the last 12 months and assessing if it was a good year for us. Did we prioritise the important relationships in our life? Were we intentional about how we spent our time with those special to us? Did we nurture our relationships, checking in often with our loved ones to ask how the relationship was for them?

It is easy to leave things to chance and accept what comes our way, but relationships with people can’t survive and thrive like that. They need attention and effort and care. This is not just about our romantic relationships. It is also with the relationships we have with our children, our parents, our friends. Often we say that our relationships with others are important to us but how do we show that? Do we stay in regular contact? Do we go out of our way to offer help when we know a loved one is struggling? Do we listen when they need to talk, hug when they need some closeness, ‘do’ when they are overwhelmed?

How we connect and how often matters, as does how we resolve conflict and reconnect after a fight. If we are parents, what are our children learning about relationships when they watch us? We want them to learn about mutual respect, positive regard, love and affection, honesty and trust, adventure and fun. We also want them to witness apologies and forgiveness, breakdowns and repair, mistakes and acceptance. Relationships are the messy, the ugly, the intense, the beautiful, the scary, the safe.

How do you want to start 2023 in all of your relationships? Make them matter, prioritise them, make them the elixir of life.