Seek Better Nourishment from Your Relationships in the New Year

In our modern, hectic lives, we often find ourselves plowing full-steam ahead to keep pace. We reach for the quickest and least nutrition options to quell our hunger. Because we gulp down our food, we don’t realize we’ve sated our appetite long before we’ve quit eating, or we continue to graze unconsciously. Later, we admonish ourselves for our behavior. Still, we tend to repeat this habit until the dissatisfaction with the reflection in the mirror surpasses our relaxed approach to our nutrition.

Our relationships, like food, nourish us, regardless of whether their family, friends, or lovers; however, sometimes we need to practice mindfulness and moderation.

Life is short and time is precious. Why spend one of your most valuable resources with people who don’t engage you?

We cannot always control with whom we spend our time, such as coworkers and family, but we can learn ways to manage better our interactions with those who challenge us.

First, we must pay attention to how we feel around certain people. Do we tend to gravitate toward some individuals and linger while giving others a nod or a wave as we continue walking? Do some people leave us feeling uplifted and energized after spending time with them while others leave us drained and craving solitude?

When possible, decline invitations from those people who don’t spark enthusiasm. Instead, reach out to those who make you laugh, captivate your interest, inspire you, and leave you feeling better when you part than how felt when you met.

Although we’re unable to remove chatty coworkers and negative family members from our lives, we can learn to manage these relationships in ways that lessen their negative impact. Perhaps we can purchase headphones for the office or choose activities that a critical brother enjoys when spending time with him.

While you do want to continue to invest in the relationships that nourish you, cultivate new friendships, as well. Invite a colleague or the new woman in your yoga class for coffee or lunch. If you don’t feel a spark of mutual interest and compatibility after meeting a time or two, silently with them the best and move on. If they blow you off, don’t take it personally; it means you’re one person closer to finding others who will appreciate your company.

Much like changing your eating habits, the quality of your relationships will affect the way you feel in a similar way that adding more fruits and vegetables can make your body feel. After a month or so, reflect on whether your relationships are adding to the quality of your life or whether you need to make further changes.