Mid-Life Interpersonal Relationships Concerns

One of the big interpersonal relationship concern reaching my mid-life crisis was the difficulty bonding with my sisters. A generation gap separates me from both of them. As the eldest of the family my role towards them while living at home was the one of a second guardian. As they were still quite young when I left home to go to College, to University and in the work field, it was not until now, before we could have a sister type of relationship in which we could confide openly, feeling more like friendship. Whether we were parent raising children - now reaching College, single-mother or single, we have now achieved enough of life's wisdom to mutually understand each other more.

Relationships, whether they are family-related, matrimonial, friendship or with co-workers are of much significance to each and everyone of us and the way we mutually greed each other and communicate with each other impacts its quality. We know to well how hurting a broken relationship can be. It goes as far as to leave us empty and vulnerable not to mention bitter and lonely.

As a dicta-typist for the Matrimonial Tribunal of our Diocese, I hear quite a few testimonies about hurt relationship. So many hurt relationships have reached the stage of divorce.

In our first encounters I introduced you to the related psychological mid-life concerns, how it impact your life. Healing our relationships begins with the healing of our own personal concerns, other wise it impacts in being a major issue in our interpersonal relationship. For example: Men and women react differently to stress. Their response is also different. The same situation applies in cases of depression of low self-esteem related illnesses such as anxiety, perfectionism... The way of thinking of both men and women is also different. The more we understand this and we learn to cope with the differences, the better the communication among couples.

We know how much communication is a big issue in relationships. As you will see in our next encounter, it's not a natural process.

Instigating renewal in our relationships is hard work. We must be up and ready for it; particularly in situations such as infidelity. Deciding whether we want to pursue the relationship or not is a challenge. We will approach this in a later encounter.

As we learn the basis on which to be building good relationships please have this thought in mind - particularly in difficult concerns:

During the darkest hours of a challenge, I may feel as if it will take a miracle to bring light back into my life. Yet I know that the dark of the night is only the prelude to the beginning of a new day and the turn of warmth and brightness.

LINKS:

Success quotes for overcoming fear

This site deals with setting high expectations for other family members that may be difficult to measure up to.

The Sources:

Daily Word for Healing Blessing Your Life with Messages of Hope and Renewal by Colleen Zuck, Janie Wright and Elaine Meyer,Copyright 2000 by Unity School of Christianity, publisher of Daily Word Series